Summer Rain
by Crystal Saturn
Summary: Sometimes fate plays games with 'Murphy's Law' to keep herself amused. Sometimes, miracles can arise from the darkest twists & strangest coincidences. What lessons will fate's journey bring to these two destined lovers, locked in a heated rivalry?
1. Murphy's Law: Incidence 1

Hi all. Surprise! A new story! I know I've just started writing _Akai Ito_, but it seems that the idea for this story won't leave me alone. So I had to start it. Chapters for this will be a bit longer than usual, and on top of everything else going on I may end up only updating this story once every 2 weeks or so, but we'll see.

It's a Sere/Dar romance. This chapter's a little angsty but the overall feel of the story will hopefully end up being more of a light-hearted romantic drama with some comedy woven through here and there. Enjoy!

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 1- Murphy's Law: Instance #1

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"Anything that _can_ go wrong, _will _go wrong"

.

It is strange how the weather sometimes seems to reflect the mood of an occasion. Today was not one of those days. It was too sunny, too warm, and the sky was far too blue for a funeral. Golden beams of sunlight kissed Serena's rosy, tear-stained cheeks. She had been strong through most of the funeral service and shed only a number of silent tears. The shock of it all was still so painfully evident. She wanted to let herself cry, but knew that if she did, she would never stop. Ironically, she thought, this was neither the time nor the place to show her weakness. She wouldn't allow herself to mourn right now. No, she needed to be strong. She needed to be there to hold and comfort her brother and her mother.

'_Tsukino, Kenji. A loving husband, father and friend.'_ The tombstone read, white letters etched into dark grey marble. Serena closed her eyes as she held up her incense sticks and bowed in silent prayer. She placed the three smouldering sticks at the base of her father's tomb stone and joined her distraught mother, holding her tightly as she wept out loud. This week had been the hardest for her. Ikuko-mama was the linchpin personality of the family. She held the family together and was the pivotal, central foundation of the family. But she herself, relied so heavily on her husband to support her and every decision she made. He was _her _rock. The father of her children, the provider for the family, and most importantly, he was her best friend.

In the blink of an eye, that all changed. Now he was gone from their lives forever. A tragic accident. He was taking photos and reporting on the opening day of a new primary school and child care centre. It was such a happy event, the highlight of his week. But it all turned sour when a gang of thieves botched up an attempted daylight robbery of a nearby high security bank. The police had arrived before the thieves could make their escape. Shots were fired and panicked parents dove to the ground, shielding their children from the violence. Of all the shots and rounds fired between the law enforcement officers and robbers, only one bullet managed to ricochet across a stone wall and strike an innocent victim. One bullet. One stray bullet. It wasn't meant to happen like this. He was reporting such a happy event.

But fate works in the most mysterious ways.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Aunty Ikuko." A gentle hand rested on her quivering shoulders. "And I'm sorry mama couldn't make it today. She's preparing a room for your and Sammy's arrival. She sends her condolences."

"Thank you, Andrew." Ikuko turned to embrace her nephew tightly. "And thank you for offering to host Serena in your apartment too." The tall blonde university student nodded in understanding. The two-storey house she was living in now was far too large and expensive for the three of them to live in; especially considering Ikuko was a housewife, and now a single mother. She now had to enter the workforce to help support her children and pay for the necessities of life such as food and school fees. Her sister, Andrew's mother, insisted that they all stayed with her. This was a lovely gesture and just what Ikuko needed to get back on her feet after such a devastating loss. The only problem though, was that her sister lived in Akita, four hours away from Tokyo by train. This meant completely uprooting the family and moving them to a different part of the country. As much as Ikuko wanted to keep the rest of her family together, she knew it simply wasn't possible. Serena's high school entrance exams were a few weeks away, and she knew it was important for Serena to continue to have consistency in her life, as well as the chance of a good education. Serena would have to stay in Tokyo for now.

Andrew rent-shared a moderately spacious three bedroom apartment where he and one of his college friends lived. For two months now, since late October, the third bedroom had remained unoccupied due to a lack of suitable applicants. Another friend of Andrews had lived in that room, but recently decided to move out and live with their partner. As soon as Andrew had heard of the news of his uncle's death, and the predicament Serena was in, he offered to take her in so she could finish her schooling here. Serena was like a little sister to him. He watched out for her every opportunity he could, so when the situation arose, he didn't hesitate at all to offer his assistance in any way he could.

It was decided that the sooner Serena could move in and settle back into some sort of familiarity and routine, the better. She needed to try to focus on her high school entrance exams which took place in about a month's time. There was now a lot of added pressure for her to do well, to make her mother proud. It's what her father would have wanted, too.

Serena already had many of her belongings packed into boxes, ready to take over to her cousin, Andrew's apartment. She would return to her house for the last time tonight to help her mother pack up the last of their belongings. Serena didn't want to leave. She grew up in that house. There were so many memories, many of them pleasant. The memory of her father lived on in that house, in every corridor and every room. These were memories that she could never replace. Memories that would one day fade away no matter how desperately she tried to relive and remember them. She didn't want to forget him, and she wasn't ready to leave her childhood home behind, but she knew she had no choice. Serena choked back tears. There was too much change happening too fast. Within the span of a week, her happy family had been ripped apart, and she didn't know when she would see her mother again.

Andrew pulled Serena in for a tight hug. He knew she was trying her best to stay strong, but he also knew that she must have been terrified. Her father had just passed away, her mother and younger brother were moving away to a different part of the country, and Serena was being left behind to pick up the pieces of her broken life, alone. He wanted to be there for her. He wanted to show her that he cared and would support her every step of the way, but his words didn't seem to be enough, and he didn't know how else to comfort the distraught teenage girl. Serena attempted to stifle some more quiet sobs as she leant her head against Andrews's chest.

"You can cry if you want." Andrew whispered gently, so only Serena could hear. "It's OK, you know. You don't have to be strong right now." Serena pulled away slowly and shook her head, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.

"I have to be strong for mama and Sammy. I can't let them see that I'm scared to stay, or that I'm too upset about papa. They'll worry about me when they leave. I have to be strong, even though I'm alone." The innocence of her words and the strength of her voice struck a chord within Andrew, and he blinked back tears of his own.

"You're not alone, 'Rena. I promise I'll look after you. If you need anything, at any time, you know you can ask me. We'll make it through this, one day at a time. You'll be fine Serena." Andrew attempted a weak smile. Serena searched her cousin's eyes and for a moment, her expression of doubt eased. She nodded slowly, feeling many of her doubts begin to ease and subside little by little. "I'll come by the house later tonight ok?"

"Thank you, Andy." Serena managed to smile through her tears, before she turned away to comfort her grieving mother once again.

* * *

Andrew pulled into the Tsukino residence driveway. There were a number of marked boxes and suitcases out on the lawn. Black ink drawn bunny rabbits distinguished some boxes from others. Andrew approached the front door of the family home slowly. The sound of weeping voices could be heard coming from just inside the house.

"Please don't inconvenience your cousin Andrew, and treat him with respect at all times." Ikuko's teary voice could be heard among Serena's own sobs. "Don't forget to do your chores and help out around the apartment as much as you can. Do whatever Andrew asks you to do and please try to stay out of trouble Serena."

"Yes mama." Serena sniffled as she nodded her head tearfully.

"And please study hard. Do your best on your high school entrance exams. Make your papa and I proud. You're a big girl now, Serena. It's time you started taking things more seriously OK?" Ikuko embraced her only daughter tightly as she noticed Andrew's shadow lurking about the doorway.

"Yes mama, I will mama." Serena added once again.

"I understand Andrew also lives with one of his college friends. Try not to disrupt Andrew's friend or annoy him with your childish shrills, or do anything else that would put your cousin in an awkward position." The sting of Ikuko's motherly scolds was somewhat diminished as she wiped her cascading tears away mournfully and continued to clutch as her only daughter tightly.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Andrew interjected quietly. "He's hardly ever at the apartment, and when he is, he spends most of his time being boring and reading in his room."

"Come on," Ikuko urged, tugging her daughter's elbow slightly as she turned to her nephew and smiled through her tears. "Andrew is here, we mustn't keep him waiting. I'm sure he's a very busy man."

"No, not at all!" Andrew shook his head strongly as he peered into the house. "Please, take your time. I'll start loading things into the car. Bunny rabbit boxes right, 'Rena?" The tall blonde man looked over at his younger cousin. She nodded quietly.

"Thank you, Andrew." Ikuko lifted up one of Serena's packed bags, ready to take it to the car.

"Please," Andrew reached to take the bag from his aunt. "I can do this. It's no trouble at all. I'm more than happy to have Serena with me. She'll keep me out of trouble." He chuckled as he attempted to reassure Ikuko. Her gaze softened slightly and a small, grateful smile graced her lips.

"I hope she doesn't cause any trouble for you."

"Mama..." Serena urged quietly, lowering her head in embarrassment.

"Not at all. Serena's a good kid. I promise I'll look after her." Andrew lifted a hand up in the air, reinforcing his oath.

"If you ever need anything-" Ikuko began once again.

"If anything happens, we'll call you. I'll make sure 'Rena calls you every week or so. We'll let you know when the house and furniture is sold at auction. We'll keep in touch." Andrew interrupted. He didn't want his aunty to worry about financial burdens at such a time. She was leaving her only daughter, and her home behind. Ikuko smiled weakly once again and nodded in understanding. She turned to her daughter and embraced her tightly once more as Andrew began to load the boxes of belongings into his car.

"I love you my little Usagi. I'm so proud of the young lady you're becoming. Please stay safe." She kissed her daughter's forehead as tears began to fall from her eyes once more. She clutched onto Serena, desperately dreading the time when she would have to let go.

"I'll miss you so much, mama. I'll think of you every day. I love you too." Serena chewed on her lower lip, trying once again to be strong. She didn't want to ruin the tender moment by bursting into tears and wailing like a newborn baby, so the two of them stood for a few moments longer, quietly holding each other. Eventually Andrew finished loading all of Serena's belongings into his car. He solemnly approached the mother and daughter embracing in the driveway. Sammy peered out of the house as he finished wrapping some of his things, and joined his family.

"A-are you going now?" Sammy inquired timidly. "Can't you come with us?"

"Sammy, Serena has to finish school here. This is a very important year for her." Ikuko hastily wiped her tears away and gently pulled Sammy closer.

"I'll try to visit on holidays." Serena reassured as she reached over and ruffled her little brother's sandy blonde hair. "You look after mama, OK Sammy? You're the man of the family now. Be a good boy and help out mama whenever you can. I'll bring you lots of treats when I visit."

"I will." Sammy hesitated for a moment before flinging his arms around his older sister. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Sam. I'll miss you both." Serena forced a smile. "I have to go now. Have a safe trip tomorrow. Let me know when you arrive in Akita." She pulled her family in for one last quick hug before slowly walking to Andrew's car.

"Have a safe trip Aunty Ikuko, you too Sammy. Aunty Ikuko, please tell mama I said 'hello' and that I'll call her this weekend, on New Year's day." Andrew watched as the dark haired woman nodded and smiled through her tears. She reached her arms out to hug her nephew quickly and watched as Serena climbed into the passenger seat of the car and buckled herself in.

"I love you both." Serena called out as Andrew made his way to the driver's seat and started the engine.

"Ready?" He glanced over at his younger cousin and she nodded, taking in one last look at her childhood home, and the remnants of her family, waving at her from the driveway.

Serena let out a deep sigh as Andrew turned the corner.

"I'm surprised." He confessed quietly. "I know _I'd_ be in tears by now. You've gone through so much just today. I can't imagine how you must be feeling."

"I feel kind of numb." Serena absentmindedly watched as trees and houses blurred by. "I guess I'm not quite ready to cry yet." Andrew turned at another set of lights and pulled into an underground car park. He rolled into his allocated apartment car spot and clicked the hand break into place.

"Well, if and when you decide you're ready to talk about things, you know you can always come to me, right?"

"I know." Serena smiled gratefully as she unbuckled her seat belt. "Thank you for looking out for me."

"It's no problem, 'Rena." Andrew shut the driver side door and strolled over to the boot of his car, unlocking it and yanking it in an upward motion. "I'm glad to have you here, and I want you to feel comfortable." He added as he began to unload some of Serena's boxes from the back of his car. "Hmm, this may take a couple trips. How about you help me carry some of these heavier boxes, then when we get up to the apartment you can check out your new room, start unpacking some things and get settled in. I'll bring the rest up for you."

"Are you sure? I can bring my things up-"

"No no. I'm more than happy to take your things up for you, and besides, my flatmate should be back from work soon. He'll help bring some things up too if need be. You just take it easy, rest a little and try to settle in." Andrew shut the boot of his car and lifted a number of boxes in his arms before shuffling toward the elevator.

* * *

"Dude, what's with all this stuff? I thought you said your cousin was fifteen." As predicted, Andrew's roommate pulled into the car park just as Andrew was on his second round of fetching Serena's belongings. True to his word, Andrew put him straight to work, handing him bags of clothing and boxes of belongings to carry up. His deep voice grunted as he heaved a stack of brown cardboard boxes through the apartment door and placed them by the hallway. "There are rabbits doodled on these boxes. What is she, four years old?"

Serena heard the unfamiliar voice from her new bedroom and cautiously stepped down the hallway to meet her new apartment buddy. Her heart beat anxiously within her chest as she heard the condescending tone in his voice. It made her wince. She wanted to make a good first impression. After all, his room was right across from hers and they would be living together in the same apartment for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately though, it didn't seem to be going well so far.

"Look at this, it's a God-damn stuffed rabbit."

Serena peeked around the corner to see the tall dark haired man pulling out her favourite plush toy out of one of her bags. It was her first toy bunny. Her father had given it to her the day that she was born.

"Don't touch that." A mixture of sadness and anger arose in her voice. "That's from my father." She added as she felt her irritation from his actions and his tone, begin to build up within her. How dare he go through her possessions? He didn't even know her and yet he was mocking her already? _What a jerk._ Serena clenched her jaw tightly and watched as the two men turned around to face her.

"Dumpling head?" His blue eyes widened with surprise and he turned to Andrew for confirmation.

"You..." Serena's brows furrowed as she squinted her eyes, recognising that smug, self satisfied look in an instant. It was _him_.

* * *

. . .

So... How's the first chapter so far eh? Keeping it all pretty ambiguous for now. Please read and review!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	2. Settle Down! Darien's Faux Pas

Hi everyone! I'm astonished at the overwhelming response I've received for the first chapter of this story! Thank you all so much. I hope you will all continue to read, review and provide much loved support and comments.

_**Thanks to:**_ crystal-gundam, merangelgal, Sabrina Grace, sailormoon0630, toeveryheart, life705, inufan155687, YingYing, Terri, jessicam242, SammieAtHome, Tam-chan, Raye Angel, Goddess of the Moonlit Sky, Fedski, Miss Katrina Malfoy, EvErGrEeN, deedee, SerentiyMoonGodness, sailormoon489, James Birdsong, Jenbunny, TropicalRemix, Scarlet L, Moon Princess Selene, CharmedSerenity3, Jessica, TaliMoonAngel668, a0ria, Usako, ARABELLA VIOLETTA _**and**_ SulliMike23 _**for reviewing the previous chapter**_

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**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 2- Settle Down! Darien's Faux Pas

. . .

"There is in every true woman's heart, a spark of heavenly fire... which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity."  
_[Irving]_

. . .

"Do you two know each other?" Andrew watched his best friend and his cousin exchange brief, fleeting glances with one another.

"Don't call me Dumpling Head." Serena scowled as she marched up to the dark haired man and snatched her plush rabbit away, holding it close to her chest protectively. He smirked at the teenager and turned to his friend.

"She's the Dumpling Head I was telling you about, the one that threw her epically failed test paper at my head." Andrew watched as his roommate of two years leant back casually and crossed his arms with a playful smile.

"I didn't mean to throw it at you, and stop calling me that! You don't even know me!" Serena pouted and huffed at his haughtiness.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my mistake. How incredibly rude of me. Let me introduce myself. My name is Darien, I'm Drew's best friend and housemate." Darien reached his hand over and squeezed one of Serena's hair buns. "It's nice to meet you, _Dumpling Head_." Serena's eyes lowered into a piercing stare as she clenched her jaw in anger and swatted his hand away. He chuckled at her reaction which made her fume even more.

"Andreeew!" Serena protested loudly.

"Darien..." The tall blond observed the strange change in his best friend's demeanour. He never acted like this, so it was hard for Andrew to know what to say. Yet, it was somewhat fascinating to watch. Darien chuckled once again as Serena's face turned beet red from irritation.

"Alright, sorry." He conceded. The smirk plastered on his face hinted otherwise. "You must be Serena, Drew's cousin. You know, you're shorter than I imagined." Darien couldn't help but throw in that last observation. He really didn't mean to. It simply slipped out. He turned his attention toward Andrew, "I'm gonna go take a shower." He stated, swiftly changing the topic of conversation before spinning around to face Serena once again. "It was nice meeting you." His fingers twitched and he found himself impulsively reaching for her hair bun again, patting it lightly as he walked past the stunned teenage girl, down the hall and into the bathroom. By this stage, Serena's balled up fists indicated that she was on the verge of going apocalyptic. That's right, _apocalyptic_. She was about to go cataclysmic on a _universal_ scale.

"How can _he_ be your best friend?" She turned to her older cousin and attempted to control her temper, through clenched teeth.

"You know, I don't know what's going on. He's not usually like this at all." Andrew shrugged. "He's usually so cool and collected. I've never seen him like this before. It's actually kind of amusing. He's like a big kid around you. I've never seen him tease anyone before, but it seems he's taken an instant liking towards you."

"_Liking?_" Serena huffed incredulously. "Well I hope he doesn't get too comfortable around me," She rolled up a sleeve. "Or I'll give _him_ a dumpling on his head." Andrew laughed whole heartedly. A gentle smile tugged on Serena's lips as she lowered her fist and picked up a few of her boxes.

"I'll talk to him about it, 'Rena. But at least he's gotten you to think about other things now. He seems to have lifted your mood, so maybe it's not such a bad thing?"

"Andyyyy." Serena pouted. "My hair doesn't look like dumplings. He's an idiot." Andrew laughed once again and nodded his head.

"Alright, leave it to me. I'll talk to him later." He picked up the remainder of Serena's boxes and helped her move them to her new room, where she began to unpack her clothes and belongings. "I'll prepare some dinner. If you need anything, let me know ok?" Serena nodded and Andrew left for the kitchen.

Serena let out a melancholy sigh as she sat at the corner of her bed and began to sift through her clothes, folding some and hanging others. She missed her family already. She missed Sammy's taunts. She missed her mama's warm hugs and her wonderful cooking. She missed her papa's smile, his cuddles, his lame jokes. She missed them all, but her heart especially ached when she thought of her father. She would never get the chance to wrap her arms around him, kiss him on the cheek and tell him how much she loved him. Not anymore. He was gone forever.

The sound of the bathroom door creaking open distracted Serena from her sombre thoughts. '_Mmm...' _she mused, '_maybe a relaxing bath will help make me feel better'_. His feet padded across the carpeted floor and she could hear his whistling becoming louder as he approached his bedroom door. He was a whistler. That seemed to irritate her too.

Darien strutted the five or so steps down the hall and as he reached his bedroom door, Serena unintentionally let out an audible gasp. The fistful of coat hangers she was holding fell to the ground with a clatter. _Un-be-lieveable._ Her jaw dropped. He was fresh out of his shower. Droplets of water dripped from his tousled jet black hair and cascaded down his bare, muscular, toned back. One of his well defined arms reached for the door knob, as the other clutched at the towel hanging dangerously low around his hips. His strong, broad shoulders gave way to a slimmer waist and his navy blue towel hardly managed to hide the tantalisingly round curves of his firm-

"Like what you see?" Darien turned around at the sound of clattering metal coat hangers, only to find Serena sitting in her room, staring at him dreamily.

"Uhmm." Serena blinked a number of times as she snapped out of her trance and shook her head to clear her mind. A crimson tinge stained her cheeks and she looked away in embarrassment. "I wasn't looking at you, idiot. You just walked into my line of sight." Darien grinned at just how flustered she was and stepped into his room.

"Sure, Dumpling Head." His voice dripped of honey coated sarcasm as he shut the door behind him.

"Ughhh!" Serena groaned in frustration as she fell back onto her bed. "You're so annoying!" she called out at his door. Andrew was right; Darien _did_ have her thinking of other things now, and although she would rather gouge her eyes out than admit it out loud, she loved every bit of what she saw.

* * *

"Itadakimasu!" Andrew beamed. Dinner consisted of his famous homemade Japanese curry and rice, with Miso soup on the side. "I'm so glad we're having dinner together at the table. Usually Darien and I finish work and University at different times, so more often than not we eat different meals at different times." He informed Serena in between bites.

"Statistically," Darien interrupted. "Children who regularly sit at the table with their families for dinner develop better communication skills, better behavior and achieve higher grades as a result." His eyes focused on the blonde teenager sitting across the table from him. "So it's a pity you didn't start this ritual earlier, you may have had a chance of passing your tests, Dumpling Head."

"Excuse me, but I eat dinner with my family _every _night!" Serena stuck her tongue out in retaliation. A memory instantly arose in her mind and she grinned broadly, chuckling at her own little inside joke. "As a matter of fact, _Darien_, just a few nights ago for Christmas Eve, we bought a huge turkey and papa…" Her voice faded away quietly. The smile on her face faltered and died on her trembling lips. She lowered her gaze and sat in silence for a moment, pushing chunks of carrot around her plate.

"Aww, what's wrong Dumpling Head? Did daddy's little girl forget to turn the oven on?"

"Darien, stop." Andrew warned quietly.

"Is that why you're here? You ruined Christmas, so Mommy and Daddy didn't want you anym-"

"Darien!" Andrew interjected once again. His voice echoed through the apartment, resonating across the walls like a low growl emitted by a territorial bear. His eyes softened as he turned to Serena. "I'm sorry, I didn't tell him. He doesn't know."

"Know what?" Darien's smirk gave way to a look of somber curiosity. Something wasn't quite right here. He had hit a nerve, yes, that was his intention. But there was something terribly wrong now. Had he somehow gotten it right? No, of course not, it couldn't be. From the few brief encounters he had had with Serena, and the many other times he had watched her from afar, Darien had caught short bursts and glimpses of her personality. She seemed to be the most vibrant, happy-go-lucky teenager, always surrounded by people and laughing with her friends. She did not fit the basic criteria for a child raised within a dysfunctional family. So why was she here now? Tomorrow would be New Year's Eve, so why wasn't she spending it with her family?

The silence at the table was now so dense, it was almost deafening. 'Awkward' was an understatement. Darien alternated between watching Andrew and Serena, waiting for some sort of response or explanation. Serena placed her fork back down on the plate and rested her hands on her lap. Her head was bowed and she sat in still silence. Andrew stared at her, unwavering. His brows displayed a deep concern that alarmed Darien. He had crossed some sort of line here, but no one seemed to be interested in telling him where he went wrong.

"What don't I know?" He asked again, becoming increasingly impatient. The silence carried for a few more moments before Andrew turned to face his best friend.

"Serena's-"

"No." Serena interrupted. Her voice cracked and faltered as she spoke. "Don't. Don't tell him."

"But… 'Rena…" Andrew lowered his head in an attempt to ascertain the meaning behind Serena's request by looking into her downcast eyes.

"It's none of his business, Andy." She lifted her head slowly and faced her concerned cousin. Tears welled within her cerulean eyes, but her face remained as firm as stone. "I don't want you to tell him." Before her tears could fall, Serena rose to her feet and turned to walk to her room, determined not to let _that jerk_ have the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Just as she reached the hallway, she stopped in thought. Clenching her fists and breathing deeply, it took all her courage and remaining strength to still her nerves and respond to his question. Even then, she still couldn't turn to face him. "For your information_, Darien_. There is so much about the world, about life and about me that you don't know." The two men watched as Serena slowly walked away with her head held high.

"What did I say? I don't know what's going on." Darien ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as Serena stalked to her room and shut the door behind her. "It was all meant to be in jest. It was a joke!"

"I know," Andrew also placed his fork down on the table. He too had lost his appetite for dinner. "But I'm sorry; I can't help you out here. She didn't want me to tell you, and I have to respect her wishes." Andrew stood from the dining table, taking his and Serena's plates away. "I don't know why you enjoy picking on her so much, but you should probably lay off it for a while. She's a good kid, and she's gone through so much these past few days."

"I didn't realize it was so serious." Darien leaned back in his chair. "I thought the teasing was just our _'thing'_."

"Your _thing_?" Andrew tilted his head curiously. "You've only just been introduced and you think you both already have a '_thing'_?"

"Well, it's true that I've only just introduced myself, but technically I've been teasing her for months now." Darien finished off the rest of his curry. Andrew stood at the kitchen sink and stared at his best friend with a look of disbelief. "What?"

"You're kidding, right?" Andrew blinked twice.

"What?" Darien asked once more, rather impatiently.

"Your sudden change in behavior, your _'thing'_ theory, the fact that you've teased her for months now and then ran to me every time with a new story about how you've managed to irritate 'this dumpling headed girl'. Look Daz, if you like her, why don't you just tell her?" Andrew ran the plates under the tap and stacked them into the dishwasher.

"What? Where in the world did you get that idea from? Besides, would you _really_ be comfortable with me going out on a date with your cousin?"

"Heck no!" Andrew slammed the dishwasher door shut.

"Then why are you giving me _'the talk'_? There's seriously no need for it. In fact, you're starting to creep me out. Drew, stop psycho-analyzing me. You said it yourself, she's _a kid_. She's nothing more than another one of those whiny, annoying teenage girls. I'm really not _that_ desperate for a date, and even if I were, I'm sure that there are plenty of other good looking women my own age, thank you very much Andrew." Darien cleared the table. "If it helps put your mind at ease, I'll go apologize. It's a bit ridiculous in my opinion because I have no idea what I'm apologizing for, but what the heck, right?" A seemingly irritated Darien placed his plate in the sink and stomped down the hallway, stopping at Serena's bedroom door. He knocked gently.

"Go away, jerk-face." Serena's muffled voice responded. Darien slowly, cautiously turned the door knob and pushed her bedroom door open.

"I wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier, Dumpling-"

_**Whack**_

Serena hurled one of her pillows at the tall man, hitting him straight in the face. Darien dropped to his knees and clutched his eye, letting out an agonizing cry of pain.

"Arrgh, my eye!" he howled, gaining Serena's attention. She perked up in bed and turned toward the injured man. Initially, she just sat there with her hands clasped over her mouth as she struggled to hold back her vengeful laughter. _Schadenfreude_, was the German expression for what she was experiencing. But the more he moaned and cursed, the more she began to think that she had done some serious damage.

"Aww, crap." Serena groaned, swinging her legs off the bed before rushing over to him. "I'm sorry. Let me look at that." Darien covered his eye with one hand while the other held the concerned blonde teen back.

"Now I'll never become a doctor! How can I ever perform surgery with only one eye? My hopes, my dreams! Crushed!" Darien turned his face away. Serena knelt beside the drama-queen and leant in, insisting on seeing his newly acquired war wound.

"Let me see!" Serena reached over, using her fingers in an attempt to pry Darien's hand away from his face. As she continued to lean forward, Darien pulled back suddenly and Serena found herself losing balance. She fell on top of Darien, toppling him backwards into the hallway. As they both fell, Darien's hands instinctively flew to Serena's sides and he held onto her as she landed on top of his torso. He groaned loudly as the pressure from her extra body weight made it harder for him to breathe.

"I'm so sorry." Serena lifted up her head to look the crippled man in the eyes. Her nose brushed up against his lips and immediately, her breath caught at the back of her throat in a short gasp. She was so close to him. His large masculine hands rested on her waist, making her feel so small and delicate. She could feel his warm body beneath hers, rising and falling with every labored breath. Another weak moan escaped his lips and brought Serena back down to Earth. She stammered another apology and swiftly pulled herself up, distancing herself from him for a moment. Darien groaned and sat up slowly, only to receive a slap on the arm.

"Ow! What's that for?" Darien rubbed his arm where she had smacked him.

"You lied to me! I didn't hurt your eye at all." Serena pouted, hoping to distract Darien as she attempted to recover from being in such close physical proximity to the handsome university student. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice her embarrassment.

"Well, no. But I think I now have two broken ribs and a bruised arm, thanks Dumpling Head." Darien continued to massage his arm.

"Why are you even here, _Satan_? Don't you have any other innocent teenage girls to hurl insults at? No kittens to scare up trees? Run out of ducklings to separate from their mothers? Or did you clock up some overtime just for me?" Serena watched as Darien slowly rose to his feet, brushing off dust from his clothes.

"I didn't mean to offend you the way I did before." Serena was taken aback by his serious tone. "I don't know what's going on in your life, and I understand that it's personal so you may not want to disclose it to me. I'm a stranger after all, but if I touch on a sensitive topic, or offend you again, I don't mean to."

"A-a-are you trying to apologise?" Serena tilted her head as she looked up at the man incredulously. A small smile graced his lips and he looked away shyly.

"I don't do this very often, okay?" Darien absentmindedly continued to rub the tender spot on his arm before rolling his head back to look up at the ceiling. Serena watched the tall, dark haired man carefully before letting out a tiny laugh.

"You know, you could just say _'I'm sorry'_." She continued to eye him down. He squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze. "My word, you've never apologized before in your life, have you?"

"Look, Dumpling Head. I retracted my previous hurtful comments as sincerely as I could muster given the current circumstances of my newly acquired injuries. Let's just leave it at that, OK?" Darien continued to avoid making eye contact as he turned and walked down the hall, effectively brushing off Serena's accusations.

"I have to live with _that?_" Serena sighed to herself. _Un-be-lieveable._

* * *

. . .

There you have another chapter. I hope you all enjoyed that. I won't be able to update for another two weeks because of exams and such, but please leave me a review and let me know what you thought.

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	3. New Years in New Arms

Happy Easter every bunny ^_^ Here I am, dressed in a cute and frilly pink cosplay maid-bunny outfit, with chocolate smudged across my face (don't ask me how or why), updating the latest chapter of this beloved story of mine. I hope you're all having as much fun as I am today ^_^

_**Thanks to:**_inufan155687, life705, Kelly, merangelgal, Jenbunny, Jessica, Fedski, ScarletL, CharmedSerenity3, SerentiyMoonGodness, serenity11287, ARABELLA VIOLETTA, Stacey, sailormoon489, TaliMoonAngel668, Moon Princess Selene, Miss Katrina Malfoy, James Birdsong, deedee, Usako, Rayne StarDust _**and**_ SulliMike 23 _**for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 3- New Years in New Arms.

. . .

"It wouldn't be New Year's if I didn't have regrets."  
_[William Thomas]_

. . .

Serena tossed and turned in her unfamiliar bed, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling within an unfamiliar room. She simply couldn't get comfortable. Although she knew Andrew's room was down the hall, and Darien's was just across from hers, she still didn't feel safe enough to be able to relax and fall asleep. Rising to her feet, Serena turned on her desk lamp and began the task of unpacking all her belongings, rescuing them from the ugly brown cardboard boxes and arranging them around the room in a way that seemed somewhat familiar. She looked back at her bed with exhaustion and disappointment, and wondered why she was having such a terrible time getting to sleep. It didn't feel right. It wasn't her bed. It wasn't her room. It just wasn't _home._

Home or not, it made little difference. Serena had not received a proper night's sleep in a week. Her body was being fuelled by three to four hours of broken sleep per night. It obviously wasn't enough, but she didn't know what else to do to try to get more rest. _Grieve._ The little voice called out in her head. _Cry._ It added once again. Serena shook her head to clear it of her thoughts. No, she wasn't ready yet. She didn't want to cry, because crying would begin the grieving process, and to her, that meant that she was relinquishing her control of the situation. It meant that she would have to admit that her father was well and truly dead, and that she would never see him again. Serena didn't want any part in that. She wanted to close her eyes, and wake up in her room. She wanted to hear her father's voice calling her from downstairs, telling her that she was going to be late for school. She wanted to be reassured that this was all just some sick, horrible nightmare. All Serena wanted at that very moment, was to be daddy's little girl again.

_**Knock, knock, knock.**_

"What are you doing, Dumpling Head?" Darien's head peered into the room. His eyelids drooped wearily and his hair was a dishevelled mess of dark tousled spikes.

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to unpack some more of my things-"

"Well stop it." Darien grumbled. "You're making too much noise. It's 4:30 in the morning. Normal people are trying to sleep." He shut the door once again and Serena could hear his heavy, irritated footsteps stalk into his room.

Serena didn't know what to do. She was trying to be as quiet as possible, but it seemed that the thin walls of the apartment did little to hide the sounds of bubble wrap and plastic tape being torn and discarded. With a gentle sigh, she sat down at the edge of her bed and stared at the blank walls of her room. To her surprise, her bedroom door swung open once again. Darien trudged in groggily, dressed only in his satin _Superman _print boxers, but it seemed he was too tired to care about his appearance at such an ungodly hour of the morning.

"Here." He thrust a CD out and waited for Serena to gingerly take it from his hands.

"Romantic piano ballads from the 90's?" She looked up at the sleepy man in front of her. He ran his fingers through his dark hair.

"It helps me get to sleep sometimes." He turned and lumbered toward Serena's bedroom door. "I know it can be hard adjusting to a new environment." He added gently as he reached the doorway. As he turned back to face the confused teenage girl, his posture stiffened and a brief look of doubt crossed his features. "Put it on quietly and go to sleep. For God's sake stop unpacking. It sounds like a demolition derby's going on in here." He grumbled with annoyance before closing her door behind him once again.

Serena sat quietly, staring at her door for a moment. What in the world had just happened? She looked down at the CD in her hands once again, and curiously raised an eyebrow. Plugging in her stereo system, she carefully placed the CD into place and set the volume down on level 2. As the first melancholy chords of _Coldplay's The Scientist_ gently drifted about in the air, Serena turned off her lamp and crawled back into bed, as previously recommended.

For a few moments, she stared up at her ceiling and wondered about the strange enigma that was Darien. He was so distant, so cold, and yet he had Andrew as his best friend. His words were sharp and cruel, and yet he wanted to become a doctor and save lives. He was so harsh and condescending towards her, and yet there he was, giving her a CD of romantic love ballads _that he owned_, to help her get to sleep. He certainly seemed to be a bit of a walking contradiction, and little did Serena know, but he seemed to be doing it again. He was unknowingly distracting her from those thoughts that kept her up at night. As Serena continued her attempts to mentally unravel Darien's personality, the haunting melody of _The Scientist _slowly began to lull her into a peaceful, dreamless slumber.

* * *

"'Rena, do you have any plans for tonight?" Andrew leant back against the kitchen bench as he whisked away at his pancake batter.

"Uhhm..." The usually perky blonde teenager slumped on the barstool as she thought. Her mind struggled to stay focused on the conversation as she let out another sleepy yawn. "No, just some more unpacking, I guess. Why?"

"It's a New Years Eve tradition for everyone that lives in the apartment building to head up to the rooftop to watch the midnight countdown and fireworks. It'd be a great opportunity for you to meet the neighbours." Andrew explained as he poured a ladle of batter into the frypan. "There will be snacks and drinks and who knows, you may just end up making a few new friends at the party tonight."

"It sounds good, Andy." Serena murmured, resting her chin on the bench top, she closed her eyes sleepily.

"Good Mooooorning!" Darien chirped as he stepped out of the hallway and into the kitchen area.

"Just get back from your morning jog?" Andrew asked as he watched Darien towel dry his freshly washed hair.

"Sure did!" The chipper dark haired man energetically bent down to pull his cereal bowl out from one of the cupboards. Reaching for his box of cereal, he prodded one of Serena's hair buns to test her reaction. She groaned in annoyance and rolled her head to the side. "What are we talking about?" Darien chuckled.

"The New Years Eve rooftop party tonight." Andrew flipped the pancake in his pan. Darien grunted, loudly voicing his disapproval as he rolled his eyes.

"Do I _have_ to go to that stupid thing again tonight?" He whined immaturely.

"Yes, 'Rena will be going and I have to cover a late shift at the arcade tonight. I need you to watch over her and introduce her to some of our friendly neighbours." He placed his freshly cooked pancake onto a plate and proceeded to pour another batch of batter onto the buttered surface of his pan. "Besides, this'll be a great opportunity for you to get out there and socialise too, hermit crab." This elicited another painful groan from Darien as he moved his way around to the other side of the kitchen island, sitting on the stool next to Serena.

"Great, babysitting duty." Darien poked the sleepy girl's cheek with the back of his spoon, earning him another slap to his already sensitive arm.

* * *

"Are you bored, too?" Darien watched as Serena yawned for the seventeenth time in five minutes.

"No, no! Just sleepy." Serena shook her head and attempted to boost her energy levels. She looked about her, taking in her surroundings. Golden fairy lights were strung across the ledges and the walls of the rooftop. Paper lanterns hung from wires strung across poles. Music provided a gentle backdrop for the murmuring of various conversations. "The rooftop looks amazing. I've met so many lovely people tonight, I'm so happy!"

"Well, you'll probably want to stay awake for the next few minutes at least, the countdown will be starting soon. Come on, let's find a good spot to watch the fireworks from." Darien reached out for her hand but soon hesitated, shoving both his hands into his pockets. This wasn't a _date,_ he was _babysitting_! There was absolutely no reason for any physical contact what-so-ever. Serena watched the strange internal monologue ticking away within Darien's mind as he turned around to walk away. She wasn't quite sure why, but it was then that her close friend, Mina's voice popped into her mind, reminding her of something she had once said.

"_New Year's Eve is so romantic. They say that whoever's arms you're in when the clock strikes twelve, is the person you'll spend the rest of the year with."_

A shudder ran through Serena's body as she quietly stepped behind Darien. _Eww, make sure that doesn't happen._ Serena smiled, staring at the back of his head.

"This is probably the best spot on the whole rooftop to watch the fireworks from." He turned and faced the cheerful teenage girl.

"Alright, let's get ready to count down to the New Year. Has everyone got their cuddle buddy and party hats on?" Freddy, the building manager announced into the microphone. From the sea of neighbours, a lone hand shot up at the sky and made its way towards Serena and Darien.

"Darien! There you are! I've been looking for you all night!" A cheerful bubbly blonde woman burst through the crowd. It was evident from her crimson stained cheeks and her lack of balance that she was intoxicated.

"Crap." Darien muttered under his breath and turned away quickly.

"Who's that?" Serena asked quietly, watching as the drunken woman began to stumble closer.

"_13... 12... 11..." _Freddy began into the microphone, gazing at his wrist watch.

"You have to help me!" Darien whispered urgently. Without waiting for her response, he wrapped an arm around the blonde teenager's waist and pulled her closer to his body. With the other hand he gently cupped her face and brought it closer to his.

"What are you doing?" Serena instinctively froze for a moment, before she gripped onto his arm in an attempt to pull away. Thankfully, he stopped moving closer and merely rested his forehead against hers, feigning an intimate moment.

"_10... 9... 8..."_

"Pretend you're my girlfriend."

"What?" Serena pulled away once again, but Darien wouldn't have any of that. He reached over and gently turned Serena's cheek so that she would face him again. She felt incredibly uncomfortable being this close to a man she barely knew. Once again, he rested his forehead against hers, looking pleadingly into her eyes.

"7... 6... 5..."

"Her name is Becky, from 6B. She's got a huge crush on me. I told her I have a girlfriend, even though I don't, to try to get her off my back." Darien calmly explained through clenched teeth. "If you don't move, it'll look like we're sharing a romantic moment." Serena nodded slowly in understanding, but she couldn't help but feel that this was a dangerous position for her to be in. One of his strong, toned arms wrapped around her waist while the other was raised to her face, gently caressing her cheek and along her jaw. Serena could smell his cologne and feel his breath gently dancing along her lips.

"_4... 3... 2..."_

"Darien!" Becky's voice called out once again. Serena watched as Darien closed his eyes, cringing at the sound of her voice. She could feel her heart beating wildly within her chest. They were only pretending, weren't they? So why did she suddenly feel so nervous? Why was she resting her arm along his to mirror his seemingly endearing embrace? Why did it feel somewhat... comfortable?

Maybe it was the way the warm golden hue from the fairy lights strung high above their heads, twinkled across his skin. Or was it the romantic violet and rouge hues from the glowing paper lanterns surrounding them, that made Serena feel as though she as in a dream? Maybe it was the buzz and the energy from the party that made her feel strangely tingly at the moment. Or it could possibly have been the few cups of not-so-virgin punch that Serena had sampled throughout the night. Either way, something strange unexpectedly took hold of her body that night. As the sound of her heart beating drummed loudly in her ears, and the meaning behind Mina's haunting words echoed somewhere within her subconscious, Serena raised herself onto the tips of her toes, and just as all lights on the rooftop cut out, her lips met his.

"_1! Happy New Year!"_ The traditional melody of Auld Lang Syne signalled the end of another year, and the promising start of a new one. Loud cracks and booming sounds accompanied the dazzle and shimmer of the fantastic light display in the sky.

Fireworks... her first kiss... and as cliché as it was, there were fireworks.

Darien's eyes flew open in shock as he felt the gentle warmth of her lips unexpectedly pressed up against his. Her eyes were shut and he watched the expression on her face grow ever more satisfied as the fireworks continued to radiate vivid, colourful rich flares of light across her face. What was she doing? The rosy tinge on her cheeks indicated one of two things. She was either incredibly bashful, in which case, the likeliness of her instigating such a kiss was unlikely; or someone had continued the New Years Eve tradition of spiking the punch again this year. Serena swayed gently within his arms. Yep, that was probably it. She was intoxicated. Ever so slowly, he broke the kiss and pulled away gently. Her eyes fluttered open. To her surprise, and mortification, Darien looked back down at her.

"You're missing the fireworks, Dumpling." His whispered, shifting awkwardly, drawing Serena's attention to the fact that he was still holding on to her. She pulled away quickly in embarrassment and looked about her. Using the clammy palms of her hands to straighten out her dress, she desperately tried to avoid making eye contact, and to ignore the tingling feeling spreading across her lips.

"Did it work?" Her unsteady voice cracked.

"Yes, she's gone." Darien folded his arms across his chest, turning to watch the fireworks. After a few awkward moments, he cleared his throat. "You know, you really didn't have to take your role so seriously."

"I... was just trying to make it look convincing." Serena shrugged and also folded her arms in front of her chest, in an attempt to hide her trembling hands.

"Went a little overboard there, don't you think?" Darien smirked as he cast a sideways glance over at the blushing teenage girl. He liked the way that the glow from the fireworks lit up her face, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

"You started this whole thing by asking for my help." Serena pouted, curling her hands into fists in agitation. "That's the last time I'll ever pretend to be your girlfriend, jerk!" She sat down on the ground and continued to watch the light display.

"Oh, come on Dumpling Head." Darien followed and reached over, squeezing one of her hair buns. "I know you liked it."

"You're joking right?" Serena almost choked in surprise. "Look, let's just pretend it didn't even happen. None of this happened, so let's never talk about it ever again."

* * *

Andrew ended his shift half an hour past midnight. He quickly paced past a few decorative and somewhat intoxicated members of the public on his block and a half walk back home. As he reached the apartment building, he entered the elevator and unbuttoned his sleeves, rolling them up his arm casually. Inserting his key into the front door, he successfully managed to gain entry and walked into the quiet apartment.

"Serena? Darien? Are you guy's home yet?"

No response.

Andrew quietly backtracked and shut the apartment door behind him once again, opting instead to head toward the fire escape stairs and climb to the rooftop.

"There you are." He emerged onto the rooftop. "Where's 'Rena?"

"She had some punch just before the fireworks. It turns out it was spiked with rum again this year. Darien quietly nodded in the direction of the unintentionally intoxicated teen. "She's over there, sleeping on one if the snack tables." Andrew turned his head and let out a small chuckle. Serena lay sprawled out on top of a collapsible table. She had one of her arms comfortably around a bottle of cola, while her head rested on a makeshift pillow made of an unopened packet of potato crisps. Darien's favourite green jacket protected her otherwise exposed legs from the crisp winter chill of the night.

"Why is she sleeping on the table?" Andrew looked about, noticing that almost everybody had retreated back home, leaving a stray few behind to clean up and pull down the festive decorations.

"She said she wanted to look at the stars." A small smile spread across Darien's lips as he took another sip of the incriminating punch.

"Just how drunk is she?"

"Not very. Just a little tipsy, that's all." Darien placed the paper cup down beside him as he rose to his feet. "We should get inside. It's cold." He rubbed his hands together. Cool wisps of condensation escaped his lips as he breathed warm air across his fingertips.

"Thanks for looking after her tonight." Andrew walked over to the sleeping blond and shook her gently. "Sere, wake up. It's time to go home." She groaned in annoyance and turned away.

"Serena..." Andrew gently shook her shoulders. The grumpy blonde teenager groaned once again and pulled Darien's jacket up over her shoulders.

"Papa... stop that... five more minute." She grumbled, pouting in her sleep.

"It's probably best if we let her sleep. She didn't get much rest last night and is probably exhausted. I'll carry her down." Darien stepped forth and scooped the petite blonde in his arms. Serena whimpered quietly as she moulded her body to comfortably fit against the tall man's. She rested her head against his chest and unconsciously snuggled in closer, seeking more warmth. "Open the door for me?"

Andrew did as instructed, as his best friend carried his younger cousin down the stairwell, into their apartment and placed the sleeping beauty onto her bed.

"What about your jacket?" Andrew watched as Darien lifted Serena's blanket over her shoulders. She clutched onto the green jacket and held it tightly as she slept.

"Leave it." Darien turned to walk into his room. A smirk smeared across his features. "I want to see the look of mortification on her face when she wakes up with it in her arms tomorrow morning." He grinned, adding in as a final afterthought, "What a great start to the New Year."

* * *

. . .

Leave me an Easter egg in the form of a Review and I shall love you all forever ^_^ too much chocolate... on a sugar high. NEVERTHELESS- please let me know what you think of this chapter, and the next one shall be smeared onto the internet in about two weeks time.

Love love xx

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	4. Darien's girlfriend? Meet the Parents!

To answer the question buzzing about in some of your minds... Yes, Sailor Moon and Tuxie boy will be in this story. I shall weave them in soon. Promise! Secondly, apologies for the delay and slight inconsistencies in updating... I have a really bad habit of starting my assignments the day before they're due, haha, so I've been belting out essays like crazy.

_**Thanks to:**_life705, serenityselena, Kelly, Easter Bunny, stephumz, RoyalLovers1418, Jessica, deedee, Miss Katrina Malfoy, inufan155687, ScarletL, Goddess of the Moonlit Sky, ARABELLA VIOLETTA, Moon Princess Selene, Stacey, sailormoon489, SerentiyMoonGodness, serenity11287, Usako, x-YingYing-x, Anonymous, TaliMoonAngel668, SulliMike23, IceQueenBarbarien _**and**_ Jenbunny _**for reviewing the previous chapter. You guys are awesome! xx**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:**4- Serena, Darien's girlfriend? Meet the Parents.

. . .

"Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place."  
_[-Zora Neale Hurston]_

. . .

**Andrew's New Year's Resolution List  
**1. Join a gym  
2. Remember Reika's birthday  
3. Learn to make a proper risotto  
4. Stop biting my nails  
5. Save money to take Reika to Paris

**Serena's New Year's Resolution List  
**1. Do well in my entrance exams  
2. Get a job  
3. Eat fruit every day  
4. Volunteer and help others  
5. Go on my first romantic date with a cute guy

**Darien's New Year's Resolution List  
**1. Take anger management classes  
2. Save a life  
3. Learn to dance  
4. Buy a pet rabbit  
5. Fall in love.

The three lists sat side by side, held up on the fridge door by magnets. It had been Andrew's idea to write a list of five goals to achieve for the year. He thought it was a great way to start the year with loads of motivation.

"That's not fair, you're not being serious about your list, Darien!" Serena pouted as the three housemates stood, staring at the fridge.

"Who says I'm not? I could accomplish all of those tasks. I could do it all in a day if I wanted to." He defended.

"Not fall in love." Andrew joined in the conversation.

"Falling in love is a ridiculous notion anyway." Darien crossed his arms defensively and walked into the living room to sit on one of the couches. "It leaves you weak and vulnerable. I'd rather not leave myself open to criticism and heartache thanks very much." He reached over to the coffee table and commenced reading his book from its bookmarked spot. Serena took this opportunity to grab a pencil, and scribbled onto Darien's list.

_6. Stop being a jerk-face to Serena._

Andrew smiled and reached for possession of the pencil. He too scribbled on the bottom of Darien's sheet.

_7. Shred that ugly green jacket._

The sound of muffled giggles interrupted Darien's concentration causing him to redirect his attention from his novel to the two immature blondes in the kitchen. He glanced over and noticed that his New Year's Resolution List had been vandalised with extra dot points. Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, he lowered his gaze back to his book and ignored Andrew and Serena's exercise in futility.

* * *

"Alright, I'm off to work. Behave you two!" Andrew bellowed down the hallway.

"OK! Be safe!" Serena poked her head out from her bedroom door and waved her cousin goodbye.

"Hey 'Rena, I'll ask my friend Risa about getting you that job at her restaurant OK?"

"Thank you Andy!" Serena smiled happily.

"See ya later, Drew" Darien could be heard adding from his spot on the couch. As Andrew left the apartment, closing the door behind him, Serena padded down the hallway in search of a study snack. Instinctively, she headed for the fridge but stopped as she reached for the door handle. There, on the bottom of her New Year's Resolutions List, was a new resolution scrawled in red ink.

6. Kiss the handsomest man in the world (Darien). √ _Check!_

Serena's eyes grew wide in horror as she snatched the list down from the fridge and marched over to the bemused Darien, sitting on the living room couch.

"What's this?" She pointed at the red ink scrawl marks on her beloved sheet.

"Uh, it looks like you're making great progress on your list already!" It took much of Darien's self control to suppress his laughter. Serena thrust the sheet of paper accusingly under Darien's nose.

"I thought you said you wouldn't mention it ever again. You agreed that it never happened!" Her vision became misty as she blinked back forming tears. Darien rose to his feet, towering over Serena's small frame as he set down his book.

"But it did happen. There's no denying it. _You_ kissed _me_." He looked at the blonde teenager who refused to appear intimidated even though he stood right up against her. As she glared defiantly up at him, Darien noticed the slightest hint of something insecure within her eyes. Doubt? Maybe it was fear. He smiled inwardly as he slowly leant forward.

Serena could feel him brushing up against her, he was so close. What was he doing? He seemed to be trying to stare her down. Was this some sort of intimidation? When she refused to back down, she noticed him begin to move in closer. Darien stopped as his face hovered merely inches away from hers. Serena felt her heart begin to pound loudly in her ears, much like it had done the night before. A hint of playfulness glimmered within Darien's eyes. They seemed to taunt and tease her, daring her not to stand down. That was it. He was trying to see if she could kiss him again. He was testing her.

"You're such an idiot!" Serena's defiant stare faltered as she shoved her list onto Darien's chest, turned and ran into her room. He grinned, knowing he had managed to unnerve the stubborn teenager. Looking down at her semi crumpled list, he skimmed over her resolutions before stopping on number five. He read it over and over again in his mind and something struck him as being odd. In a moment of clear realisation, he groaned and smacked his palm up against his head.

It wasn't fear in her eyes, it was innocence.

Darien paced down the hallway and entered Serena's room without knocking. There she lay, on her bed, hugging her pillow and staring at the ceiling.

"If your first kiss meant so much to you, then why did you kiss _me_?" He asked from her doorway in a somewhat agitated tone. She had put him in a somewhat awkward position. To be honest, he knew that she was the one to blame. She had initiated the kiss, so why did he feel the need to apologise?

"What are you talking about?" Serena glanced over at Darien for a brief moment before turning over onto her side to avoid his piercing stare.

"You've never been on a date before, therefore I'm pretty confident in saying that that kiss last night would have been your first." Darien crossed his arms, leaning against the doorway.

"What's your point, Darien?" Serena sighed and sat up in bed. She didn't want to be discussing this with him, but felt that he wasn't giving her much of a choice. So she drew her knees up against her chest like a shield.

"My point is, why?"

"I don't know! I had too much punch... the lights were romantic... it was just one of those impulsive moments. It just happened!" Serena threw her hands up into the air in frustration. Even _she_ wasn't sure why she had done it. "It's not like I like you or anything." She chewed on her bottom lip as her heart started to race in her chest.

"Are you sure?" Darien tipped his head to the side as he raised an eyebrow.

"Yes I'm sure! Look, I was just trying to help you like you asked me to. You started this whole thing. If you hadn't held me like that, we wouldn't be here having this stupid conversation." Serena paused in thought. "Andrew's not going to be happy when he finds out..."

"Fine." Darien shrugged in defeat. "Let's just pretend that it didn't happen. We won't speak of it again. You've still never been kissed and Andrew doesn't have to know about any of what happened last night. That is, as long as you're positive you don't have feelings for me." A playful smile graced Darien's lips.

"I'm positive!" Serena rolled her eyes and jumped up out of bed. She pushed Darien out of her room and shut the door.

"Fine, fine." Darien smirked mischievously on the other side of the door. "It's not like it was much of a kiss anyway." His smirk spread into a broad grin as he heard Serena protest in the form of a loud groan on her side of the door.

* * *

"Sure ma." Andrew nodded even though his mother was unable to see him through the phone. It was tradition for Andrew's mother to call him every New Years Day. He had just arrived back home after his lunch shift at the arcade when the phone rang. Mothers' intuition, right? Yeah, I know, creepy. "Yes maaaa" He added, cheeks flushing to a brighter shade of crimson as he turned away and whispered into the phone. "Yes I'm changing my underwear every day. I'm not five anymore, ma!" Darien snickered quietly as he ironed his shirts for the week, listening in on the conversation. "Shut up, Darien!" Andrew threw a kitchen cloth at his best friend. "Yes, he's here. Yes I'll put him on." Andrew ignored Darien's visual protests and handed him the phone.

"Hi Mrs. Furuhata." Darien greeted enthusiastically. "Of course. Yes he's behaving well and eating all his vegetables. No we're not having any wild parties here." He chuckled into the phone.

"Yes she seems to be settling down well. Of course we'll both look after her. Yeah, I guess she is kind of pretty." Darien laughed, smacking his palm against his forehead.

"Is she talking about Serena?" Andrew skipped from the kitchen area into the open plan living room and sat down on the coffee table, leaning in to try to hear the other end of the conversation.

"Did someone say my name?" Serena's voice called from down the hall. She emerged a few seconds later. Darien took this as his cue to hand the phone over.

"Yes Mrs. Furuhata. Oh, look, here's Serena now. I'll put you on if you like. Oh, Mrs. Tsukino wants to talk to her? Ok sure. Well, happy New Year to you too. Yes, take care." Darien handed Serena the cordless phone. With a trembling hand, she held it up to her ear.

"Mama?" She asked quietly. "Oh, mama! I've missed you so much. How are you?" The teenage girl sat down on the armrest of the sofa where Darien continued his ironing. "Yes everything is fine here. I've settled in well." She tried her best to sound happy and enthusiastic as her mother spoke. "What was that? Yes, I heard Aunty Kyoko but no, Andy's housemate really isn't all that attractive." Serena rolled her eyes and groaned as she leaped off the armrest and scurried into the kitchen for some more privacy. Darien grinned to himself. His ego inflated as he overheard numerous stray embarrassed whines emanating from the kitchen.

The muffled sounds of the quiet conversation in the kitchen continued for a few more moments before Serena returned the cordless phone back onto the charging dock and casually strolled back into the living room area, rejoining Darien and Andrew.

"Your mother sounds like a lovely woman, Dumpling Head. She's certainly well informed." Darien smirked as he folded the last of his shirts and packed away the ironing board.

"Misinformed, if you ask me." Serena huffed her fringe away from her eyes. Andrew stood back once again, crossing his arms and silently watching the to-and-fro of Serena and Darien's conversation. "She thought you were good looking." Serena continued with a sarcastic chuckle and shook her head in mock disbelief.

"It's a pity she gave birth to such a dopey kid like you though, Klutzoid Queen. What a disappointment you must have turned out to be, eh?" Darien shot back quickly with his rapier tongue.

"Yeah well, at least I got a phone call from my mother today. You must've been a pretty rotten kid yourself, not to get a New Years phone call from any of your family today." Serena stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Serena..." Umpire Andrew interjected, cautiously warning Serena against going down that path. Darien's frame stiffened for a moment before he bent over and picked up his laundry basket. His silent tone indicated discomfort as Darien walked down the hallway, depositing his laundry basket into his room. Serena's smug smirk faded away as she turned to Andrew, shooting him a silent questioning look. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could respond, Darien re-emerged with his jacket folded over his arm. He reached for the bouquet of flowers sitting within the green tinted glass vase on the kitchen table and lifted it out of the water. Turning to Serena briefly, he plastered a stiff smile over his features.

"Maybe you're right." His steely blue eyes glistened coldly as his voice struggled to hold back the bitterness within his melancholy tone. "I guess I must have been pretty horrible kid." With that, he turned away and walked out of the apartment quietly.

"What was that all about?" Serena continued to stare at the back of the apartment door. "I was just kidding. I thought we were just doing our '_thing'_." She defended.

"What's with the two of you and this '_thing'_ of yours?" Andrew shook his head as he leaned against the nearby dining table. Serena cocked her head to the side curiously as she had no idea about what her cousin was talking about. "Never mind." Andrew shook his head gently in dismissal before he took a deep breath and continued with his initial train of thought. "Darien doesn't have parents anymore." He began, trying to ease into the explanation as gently as he could. "He doesn't ever talk about it, but both his parents passed away in a car accident when he was eight years old." Andrew quietly concluded disclosing Darien's great secret and watched as the colour drained from Serena's cheeks. As his words sunk in, Serena realised just how stupid and insensitive her comment would have sounded. She cursed under her breath as she leapt to her feet, threw on her sneakers and bolted for the door in an attempt to catch up to Darien.

"Wait, where are you going?" Andrew called out after the impulsive teenage girl, but it was already too late. Serena had sped down the hallway and was already making her way down another flight of stairs. She needed to catch up to him. She needed to apologise for her insensitivity. She didn't know.

As Serena made her way down the fire escape and burst onto the streets of Azabu-Jūban, she looked about frantically in an attempt to spot the tall bouquet wielding man. She squinted, raising her hand up to shield her eyes from the piercing afternoon sun as she spotted his figure amongst others in the distance. Bursting into another sprint, she attempted to catch up to Darien before she could lose sight of him. With her eyes glued to the back of his head, Serena ran, gradually closing in on the unassuming man although his strides were large. He turned a corner and Serena cursed under her breath as she painfully increased her speed.

Just as she reached the same corner Darien had turned down, she spotted him turning down another road and she let out an exhaustive groan, panting in an attempt to suck in more oxygen. Chasing after him was proving to be a difficult task with so many buildings in the way and no idea of where he was heading. Doubt crept into Serena's mind as she closed in on him. Where was he going? Why was she trying so hard to chase him down? He was the one who had started it all. How was _she_ supposed to know that his parents had died when he was a child?

White roses. Maybe he was on his way to a date. Serena wondered if it was wise for her to continue hounding Darien, or if she should just turn around and wait for him to come back to the apartment. It was just an apology after all. She had already upset him once this afternoon, was it really wise to track him down right now? What if he didn't want to see her? What if she ruined the mood of his date?

'_Left turn here. There he is.'_ Serena noticed Darien check for oncoming traffic before crossing the road and entering some sort of park surrounded by old unkempt hedges and a rusty old steel fence. _'What is this place? Not very romantic...'_ Serena squinted in an attempt to read the steel letters riveted across the entrance arch of the property. She slowed her pace down to a light jog as she skipped across the road and found herself at the entrance and under the sign she had tried to read earlier.

_Azabu Cemetery._ Serena's heart sank within her chest and within an instant her mind flashed back, recalling memories that made her stomach churn within her. A black hearse. Her mother's heartbroken weeping, White and red poppies. Suppressed emotions, dark memories and unshed tears all began to rise to the surface as Serena watched Darien's tall dark form stop in front of a modest dark grey dual headstone monument. He gently placed the bouquet of flowers down before him and bowed respectfully.

In that moment, Serena's feet developed a mind of their own, deciding at that moment to run towards the young man who stood silently, sombrely staring at the headstones. Darien had heard the galloping footsteps approaching behind him, but was surprisingly jolted out of his hypnotic reverie when he felt a small body unexpectedly collide against his back and a set of slender arms wrap around his waist. She sobbed quietly with her head pressed up against his back. Darien stood rigid, trapped within this young woman's arms. He had no idea how to react to this sudden assault, or even about the identity of this mysteriously woeful cemetery groper.H

"I'm so sorry." Her voice sniffled against his back. A gentle smile tugged on Darien's lips as he recognised her meek voice. But of course, who else would it have been other than his little Dumpling Headed klutzoid tornado.

"Any excuse," Darien cleared his throat, still caught within Serena's arms. "Any excuse to be close to me eh, Dumpling Head?" He shifted, trying to turn and face the blonde teen. She surrendered her hold of her arch nemesis and furrowed her brows together in confusion while looking up at him.

"I... I..." Serena began, unsure of what to say or how to behave now that she could see the small, albeit somewhat cocky, smile that graced Darien's features.

"I know." Darien interrupted. "It's OK. You didn't know." He reassured Serena and her sniffles quickly subsided. "Besides, it happened twelve years ago. I'm at peace with it. Death is something we all have to deal with eventually. It's a part of life, right?"

"Mmm..." Serena nodded quietly and lowered her head. She knew he was right, but the mysteriously delicate, foreign tone in his voice revealed to her a weakness that he was desperately trying to hide. Even though so much time had passed, she could tell that it still hurt him to talk about it. He _was_ human after all. Serena raised her head and looked Darien in the eyes. He shifted uncomfortably under her scrutinizing gaze and looked away for a moment. A change occurred within his demeanour and his eyes lit up with mirth once more.

"Come, I'll introduce you to my parents." He wrapped an arm around Serena's shoulders and pulled her closer until she was beside him, facing the headstones. "Father... mother," He bowed toward each respectively, Serena followed suit. "I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend."

"What?" Serena attempted to pull away from Darien's grasp, but he gripped onto her shoulder tightly, holding her in place. "No, no, no!" Serena turned her attention back to the headstones eagerly. "It's not like that at all."

"Come on, Dumpling, you're going to break my mother's heart. She had such great hopes for me one day finding a woman to settle down and have children with." Darien shot the teenager a lopsided grin. She paled and frantically shook her head towards the headstone.

"I'm sorry, but your son is lying. Maybe one day he'll find a wonderful woman to have babies with, but I'm not his girlfriend!" A bright red hue grasped onto Serena's cheeks and refused to retreat.

"In actual fact, Darien's really annoying and a total jerk toward me. He always teases me and..." Serena's voice trailed away as she realised that she was confessing all this to his late mother.

"And well... He let me stay with him and my cousin in their apartment, so I guess, he's not too bad, after all." Her voice softened as she glanced up at the dark haired university student beside her. Something about Darien had changed within her mind, now that she knew a little more about him. He had shared one of his most intimate secrets with her, one that now explained so much about his quiet, somewhat cold, independent personality.

"He's really smart." Serena blurted out. "I'm sure, Mr. And Mrs. Chiba, that both of you can be very proud of the person Darien has grown up to become... even though he can be a jerk sometimes."

"Hey, I resent that last comment." Darien loosened his grip on Serena's shoulder as he bowed towards his parents once more. "Come on, Dumpling Head." he turned his attention back to the blonde teen once again. "Let's go home."

* * *

. . .

That's it for another chapter. Oh, the tension, the glimmers of romance, the mock teasing... Don't you just wish they'd just kiss again and get together already? Hahaaa sorry folks, I'm enjoying this tension filled to-and-fro of the Sere/Dar relationship too much to let it all cave in and be purely romantic just yet. You'll just have to wait a little while longer... in the meantime, click the little Review link down below and tell me what you think so far. Or just click on it and say Hi! See you guys next week for a new chapter of my other story, _Akai Ito._

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	5. New Job for the New Year

WOOOOOWWW! Over 100 reviews for 4 chapters. Amazing! Thanks so much guys! You're all so wonderful and I appreciate each and every review that I've received. Hugs all around!

_**Thanks to: **_Jessica, SerentiyMoonGodnessm TaliMoonAngel668, Usako, Jenbunny, serenityselena, CharmedSerenity3, x-YingYing-x, Miss Katrina Malfoy, deedee, Moon Princess Selene, Brizzy, ScarletL, SabrinaGrace, life705, IceQueenBarbarien, Stacey, ARABELLA VIOLETTA, SulliMike23, Goddess of the Moonlit Sky, stephumz, mayilu _**and**_ My Veggie Burger _**for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 5- New Job for the New Year

. . .

"Love, and a cough, cannot be hid."  
_[-George Herbert]_

. . .

"What the hell are you doing?" Darien placed his book bag down at the door as he walked into the apartment and kicked his shoes off. He scrunched his nose up in disgust as he cautiously approached Serena and Andrew, who were sitting on the living room floor. Andrew gently blew air across the fingertips on his right hand as Serena carefully applied a second coat of black nail lacquer on his left hand.

"It's nail polish." Serena murmured monotonously as she concentrated on applying an even coat on Andrew's pinky nail.

"Ok, let's try this again…" Darien began as he towered over the two blonde cousins.

"It's supposed to stop me from biting my nails. New Year's Resolution number four." Andrew interrupted relatively calmly.

"Right." Darien raised an eyebrow at his best friend skeptically. "You're actually serious about that list, eh?"

"Black nail polish serious." Andrew nodded.

"A bit far, don't you think?" Darien watched as Serena patted Andrew's arm, signaling that she was done.

"It could have been pink." Serena picked up another small bottle from her box of lacquers.

"You're out of your mind, Drew." Darien shook his head and fell back onto the nearby couch, turning the television on to the evening news.

"What about your list, Darien? Have you crossed anything off of it yet?" Serena tightened the cap of her nail polish bottle, ensuring it was properly shut before putting it away. Darien turned his head to stare at Serena in disbelief.

"Umm… no." He concluded, soon realizing that she wasn't being sarcastic, and turned his attention back to the News channel. "I wasn't actually serious about doing any of that stuff, Dumpling Head."

"Oh." Serena frowned slightly. "So we're not getting a pet rabbit?"

"No, we're not." Darien confirmed, not taking his eyes away from the television.

"And you're not going to anger management classes?" Andrew watched in amusement as Serena innocently questioned the dark haired man beside her.

"I don't _need _anger management classes." Darien rolled his eyes. Ironically he was starting to get a little agitated.

"What about falling in love? Surely you have no control over that. What if you fall in love this year?" Serena continued to pry into Darien's life. He groaned in slight annoyance, sighing out loud and running his fingers through his hair. As he turned his head toward the annoyingly curious teen, he noted that she was looking straight up at him. Her big cerulean blue eyes blinked up at him in such an innocent way that he simply couldn't snap at her.

"Yeah Dare," Andrew added, taking note of how his usually impatient roommate had held his tongue and restrained himself from being too visibly irritated. "What if you fall in love this year?" He egged his best friend on playfully, trying to gain some sort of response. Darien's left eye twitched as he shot Andrew a quick glare before turning his attention back at the curious doe-eyed high school girl.

"I… I don't know, Sere. I think it's pretty unlikely. I have too much to focus on this year. I don't have time to fall in love." Darien fumbled with the remote control in his hands.

"But Darieeeeen." Andrew did his best to mimic the stereotypical teenage girl voice. "How do you know when you've fallen in love?" The twenty-one year old blonde batted his eyelashes immaturely. "What if you're in love now, and don't even know it? What if you're in, like, total denial over it? What if you guys, like totally have huge crushes on each other, but are just too afraid to admit it? Cause, you know, you guys have this '_thing'_ that only the two of you do together, and you pretend not to like this person, but in reality you like, really, really _do_ like them." Serena listened to Andrew seriously and nodded her head in agreement as she turned to face Darien, waiting to hear his response. He simply rolled his eyes at his best friend.

"So _anyway_… how many things have you ticked off your list so far, Dumpling Head?" Darien knew exactly what Andrew was implying and chose to avoid the topic like the plague. His best friend was baiting for gossip. Funny, if only he knew who Serena's first kiss had been with, maybe he wouldn't have been acting like such a smart ass.

"Well, let's see…" Serena rocked back and forth on the floor, bringing her knees up to her chest.

"I've eaten fruit every day so far this year, and I start my first dinner shift at that restaurant café place tomorrow. So I guess that's two things so far."

"Impressive, Dumpling. Just don't go shattering cups and plates everywhere tomorrow, okay?" Darien smirked.

"Jerk." Serena groaned in annoyance and blew a raspberry at him. "And here I thought you were actually going to be nice to me for a change."

"Not a chance, Dumpling Head. Maybe when your grades improve."

* * *

"Thank you for letting me work with you tonight, Miss Risa!" Serena untied the apron from around her waist and placed it into her backpack before throwing her winter coat over her shoulders.

"It was a pleasure, Serena. You're a quick learner and I'm happy to have you with us. See you tomorrow night." Risa, the manager of Red Rose Café smiled warmly as she waved off her newest junior employee. Serena waited until she was around the corner and out of sight of the café before she let out a squeal of excitement and relief. She had managed to successfully make her way through her first shift without any incidents or accidents. Spinning around with giddy joy, she threw her hands up into the air, skipping about in blissful ignorance until she pranced straight into a wall.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, Dumpling Head. You could take out an eye doing that." Wisps of cool condensation seeped from his lips as he spoke.

"Darien?" Serena raised her head from her apologetic bow. "What are you doing here?"

"I had a craving for chocolate gelato." He shrugged simply, thrusting his gloved hands into his jacket pockets.

"It's ten o'clock, at night." Serena frowned slightly. Her heart was still beating heavily from the adrenaline pulsing through her body and the thrill of completing her first shift successfully. She pulled the hood of her jacket up over her head as soft white flakes began to sprinkle from the heavens. "And it's snowing."

"Sooo… I guess you won't want to have one with me then?"

"Well, I haven't had gelato in such a long time…" Serena quickly changed her tune as she turned back around and began to walk with Darien to the nearby ice cream parlour. Living within Tokyo had its perks, many stores and café's remained open until late, even on weekends. "Ooh, strawberry looks yummy. Oh and so does caramel. Decisions, decisions. What are you having, Darien?" Serena dug about in her pockets in search of some money.

"I might just have a hot chocolate." Darien removed his hands from his pockets and rubbed them together, trying to warm them up a little.

"Hot chocolate? But you said you were craving gelato." Serena frowned in confusion.

"I know, but you're right. It's too cold for icy treats. I guess I'll have to get my chocolate fix another way." The tall university student shrugged his shoulders. "Have you decided on what you want?" Serena looked down at the small change in her hands and nodded.

"I'll have a hot chocolate too."

"Good choice." Darien nodded in approval as he made the order and paid for the two drinks in advance. Serena had offered to pay for her own drink, waving a fist full of small coins about, but Darien chucked and dismissed her, claiming that he didn't like to carry small change about with him. It weighed him down unnecessarily.

As the couple began their slow trek back to the apartment in silence, Serena could not help but turn to look up at the man beside her every few minutes. He idly strolled down the streets of Azabu-Juban with his head held high and his eyes generally focused on the path ahead of him. Occasionally, he would lift his Styrofoam cup up to his lips and take a short sip. '_Because, sure… why not?'_ Serena mused to herself, '_As if drinking while walking at the same time __isn't_ _the easiest thing to do...'_

Flakes of crisp white snow danced across the skies. Their light forms flittered by and nestled on Darien's jet black hair, forming a momentary contrast, before dissolving away. He was tall, head and shoulders above her height and even though his shoulders were broad and Serena knew that he was decently built and toned, he didn't look 'brick wall' hard. The tip of his nose was kissed pink by the frigid northerly winds. His piercing blue eyes hinted of many things that his seemingly coy lips would never confirm nor deny. Yeah… he was gorgeous.

"What is it?" Darien asked quietly, perfectly aware that Serena had been staring at his face for the time it took to walk half a block.

"What's what?" Serena swiftly turned her head away, preferring to stare at the cracks on the ground. "Nothing."

More awkward silence.

"So…" Serena took another sip of her hot chocolate as they approached their apartment building. "Did you come out here this late at night just to walk me home?"

"What?" Darien looked down at the petite blonde as he buzzed himself through the lobby sensor doors. "No, don't be ridiculous. I told you, I had a craving for chocolate."

"Really, Darien? You were _that_ desperate for chocolate at 10 PM? You couldn't find any in the apartment?"

"Yeah." He shrugged in a rather blasé manner, brushing the snow off of his shoulders before entering the apartment building.

"You know, the restaurant is only three blocks away." Serena stomped on the front welcome mat to remove the buildup of snow from her shoes. "I'm perfectly capable of walking home by myself. I'm a big girl now, you know."

"It's late, and dark out there. You shouldn't be so lax about your own safety." Darien warned as he strolled through the vacant, dimly lit lobby and headed towards the elevator. A muted tone signaled its arrival and the brushed aluminum doors of the lift opened, welcoming the two young adults inside. "We live in a city area and there are some pretty crazy people out there. You can't trust everyone you meet, Dumpling Head. I guess you're still too young to know about the evils of the world. But even still, you should always be careful-"

"So you _do_ care about my safety…" Serena struggled to keep her ever growing grin contained. Her cheeks began to blush a glowing crimson shade that unnerved Darien slightly. She was looking at him in a way that he was all too accustomed to, yet had never managed to feel comfortable with. He had, after all, somehow managed to become the target of attention for much of the female student body during high school.

"I'm concerned for Andrew," Darien refused to hold eye contact, "-who will probably end up having a hard time filling out a lengthy missing person's report because _you_ decided to follow the man with the candy into his windowless van." The doors of the elevator opened once it reached the eighth floor of the apartment building, and Darien ran his fingers through his hair in irritation as he stepped out first.

"So are you going to be walking me home from work every night shift then?" Serena tried to read between the lines. Darien still acted like a cold, heartless jerk towards her, but ever since she found out that his parents had died when he was still a child, she warmed towards him. There was an underlying reason behind his behaviour. He wasn't an ass because he was some rich, spoilt, obnoxious kid, he was an ass because life had handed him a crappy hand. He was awkward and struggled with his emotions, and maybe, just maybe, if she was patient enough, she could be the one to help him come out of his shell. The more thought she gave it, the more she realized that there was always a hidden motive behind his actions. Darien didn't always show his feelings or emotions, but that didn't mean he was uncaring.

"Don't count on it, Dumpling Head. I've got better things to do with my time." He expertly unlocked the apartment door. "I was just warning you of the dangers of being out this late at night."

"Well, my shift finishes at 9 tomorrow night." Serena followed the tall man into the warm apartment and tugged on the sleeve of her coat, removing it and hanging it up on the coat rack by the door.

"Don't get your hopes up. It's not like I'll be out there waiting for you." His cool, flat tone gave him a rigid mechanistic quality, making him sound nonchalant as he kicked his shoes off and shuffled down the hallway towards his room. A moment later, Darien reached for his door, turning back to yell at the blonde teen, reaffirming his stance in the matter. "I really don't care about what happens to you, Dumpling Head." He called out. "And by the way, Rapunzel, you have like... four strands of your rope-like hair clogging up the whole shower drain again. Fix it."

Serena rolled her eyes briefly before breaking into a slight smirk at Darien's attempt to sound indifferent by changing the topic. "Sheesh."

* * *

"Thank you again for tonight, Miss Risa. I'm so happy you let me work here." Serena untied the apron from around her waist and placed it into her backpack before wrapping her winter coat around her body tightly.

"I'm very happy to have found such an enthusiastic worker such as yourself, Serena. Thank you for working hard tonight. Say hello to Andrew for me. I'll see you next weekend." Serena's manager shot her a warm smile as she waved her junior goodbye and watched as the petite schoolgirl skipped out the door of the restaurant.

As Serena pulled her beanie down over the top of her head, she noticed the back of a familiar looking figure, walking steadily down the street, a few steps in front of her. She picked up her pace, jogging up to the tall, dark haired man. When she found herself close enough, she slowed down to match his pace and began to stroll silently by his side. She knew not to say anything. She knew not to ask any questions. She knew that it would be bad to point in an all-knowing, gloat-ish manner and scream out _'I knew it!'_ to his face.

Without turning to acknowledge his new companion, Darien held out the takeaway cup of hot chocolate, passing it to the cheerful teen, before taking a small sip from his own cup. He was waiting for her to tease him about being right and knowing that he would be there to walk her home again tonight. _Nothing._ He was grateful for her silence. Maybe she wasn't a complete idiot after all.

A part of him was grateful that she hadn't asked him why he was walking her home. He wasn't quite sure himself. Although he had previously used Andrew as an excuse, Darien knew within his heart that his best friend wasn't the real motivation behind his sudden altruistic behavior. Somehow, he felt as though he was compelled to protect this young teenage girl, much like how his alter ego, Tuxedo Mask, was bound to protect Tokyo's local heroine, Sailor Moon. That's right, Darien had a secret identity.

As far as Darien knew, It first started at the age of sixteen, that's when he began to notice holes in his memory. Some nights he would black out completely and wake up in his room the next morning, remembering nothing. On the night of his eighteenth birthday, Darien disappeared from his own party, one that Andrew had thrown for him. Somehow, amongst the mirth and merriment of the masquerade at the Crown Arcade, the man of the moment had vanished. Andrew, knowing of Darien's penchant for "sleep walking" at night, snuck away to search the streets of Tokyo for his best friend. When the flustered man finally found Darien, he was sitting at the base of Tokyo Tower, dazed and confused. In his hands was fifty million Yen worth of loose cut diamonds. That night, Andrew and Darien received their first lesson on how to remove fingerprints from gemstones, and the Tokyo Police department received their first 'anonymous gift' from Tuxedo Mask in the form of the returned stolen diamonds in a brown paper bag.

For the past year or so, ever since the tiara wielding, crime fighting, justice seeking heroine of the moon first appeared, Darien had found himself involuntarily transforming into a cape-and-top-hat version of her own personal meat-shield for use whenever she needed him, and she needed him, often. At first, it was completely uncontrolled, but with time and familiarity came power and control. Soon enough, Darien was free to transform whenever and wherever he pleased, but one thing still remained, his connection to Sailor Moon. Unfortunately for Darien though, his earlier spontaneous, premature transformations proved difficult to keep a secret, especially from his roommate who had, on a number of occasions, witnessed said transformations with his own eyes. Andrew was the only other person who knew about Darien's alter ego, and of his connection to Sailor Moon.

This was different though. Although Darien felt the urge to watch over and protect Serena, he wasn't sure why he needed to, other than the fact that she was his best friend's cousin and also five years his junior. Maybe it was her naivety. Maybe it was her uncanny ability to instantly befriend just about anybody. Maybe it was her trusting and forgiving nature. Either way, Darien felt as though it was his duty to protect her innocence. Not that he would ever reveal that to anybody though, let alone to the Dumpling Headed disaster herself.

"How was work?" He murmured, trying his hardest to sound as though he really didn't care.

"It was great." Serena nibbled on her bottom lip, inwardly smiling to herself, knowing that even though Darien was trying his hardest to seem unconcerned and cool, a part of him really _did _care for her wellbeing. Oddly enough, just that one thought made her heart somersault in her chest like it had never done before. "But, it's not like you care or anything, right?"

"Of course not." Darien shrugged, shooting Serena a cocky sideways glance.

* * *

. . .

There you go folks. Hope you liked it. Please read and review, and I'll see you all next week for another chap of Akai Ito.

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	6. Serena's Secrets

Surprise! New chapter! Here's a new chap cause I won't be able to update for another 2 weeks (exams, bleh).

_**Thanks to: **_inufan155687, Terri, Leslie, Goddess of the Moonlit Sky, ARABELLA VIOLETTA, Stacey, deedee, CharmedSerenity3, xx, stephumz, sailormoon489, life705, Usako, Fedski, TaliMoonAngel668, serenity11287, Jenbunny, Moon Princess Selene, ScarletL, My Veggie Burger, SerentiyMoonGodness, Miss Katrina Malfoy, Jessica, Become's one with the story, _**and**_ x-YingYing-x _**for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 6 - Serena's Secrets

. . .

"Secrets are things we give to others to keep for us"  
_[-Elbert Hubbard]_

. . .

_Monday, 13th February._

_Dear Diary,_

_How are you little book? I hope you're well. A lot has happened since I last wrote in you at Christmas. So much has changed these past two months. I won't go into too much detail, I don't really want to. But anyway, I'm living with Andrew now in his and Darien-idiot's apartment. I think I'm finally starting to settle down into a routine now._

_I got a job at a restaurant three blocks away from the apartment, at a place called Red Rose Café. The manager there, Risa, is so nice to me. I love working there. It's great. At the end of the night shifts, Risa lets me take any unsold cupcakes home. How cool is that? And I get paid for it too! Strangely enough, Darien's walked me home from every shift I've had so far, day and night. I'm not sure what his angle is, but I think his intentions are good._

_I just sat my second and final set of entrance exams for high school. I'm surprised I made it out alive. I crammed so much English practice in the night before and didn't get much sleep, but I think it was good. I hope I do well. Andrew helped me out a little, but I was surprised when Darien begrudgingly volunteered some of his time to help me understand some math formulas. He teased and belittled me throughout the whole experience, of course, but it's not like I expected any different…_

Serena flicked through her freshly written pages of her diary, skimming over the entry she had just recently written. Groaning slightly, she realized that she probably was mentioning her annoying house-mate a little too often for it to be merely coincidence. Chewing tentatively on her bottom lip, Serena wondered if she should commit to paper _all_ her honest thoughts and feelings.

_Diary, I think I have a crush on Darien._

Sitting back on her desk chair, Serena cringed as she reread her confession. She started to question herself, wondering if she should scribble out the pink glittery words. Shaking her head, she decided against it. If she couldn't even be honest to a secret book that only she had access to, then who else could she vent to?

_I'm not too sure when this happened, or even how. Most importantly, I'm not too sure why. He's still as conceited as ever. Still a major jerk and still teases me… if anything, he probably teases me more now than he did when I only ever saw him at the arcade. So maybe I'm a sucker for punishment, but I don't know what to do. I'm not sure how I feel. For the most part, I really don't like him. He pushes all my buttons and irritates me to no end. His smart ass quips and sharp tongued one liners get under my skin, but then again, I sort of like the interaction. I like the conflict. Am I crazy, diary? I think I am. It doesn't matter though, because Darien's a university student. He's five years older than I am (four years, one month and a couple days). He still sees me as Andy's kid cousin. There's no way I can get his attention, can I?_

_Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. I've made some marbled chocolate fudgy brownie squares, with Risa's help, to give to Andrew and Darien. I hope they like it. I hope __he_ _likes it. I'll let you know how it goes. I wonder if Sailor Moon should give Tuxedo Mask a chocolate square tomorrow… If only I knew how to find him…_

_Sere  
(He called me that yesterday. I like it)_

Serena signed her name at the end of her long journal entry and quickly shut the book before she could re-read her numerous confessions and edit them out. Strolling over to her bed, she tossed her diary under her pillow and snuggled comfortably beneath her sheets. Reaching over to turn her bedside lamp off, Serena closed her eyes and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

It was an uncanny sight, seeing Serena awake early in the morning. So uncanny that it gave Andrew chills as he walked into the kitchen. Happily though, he was greeted with a hot cup of coffee and a brownie square.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Serena placed her chocolatey treat down on the counter and hurled herself at the older blond man, hugging him tightly. He chuckled, more in surprise rather than in amusement, and returned the warm embrace lightly.

"Keep it down, Dumpling Head. It's too early in the morning to be hearing your squawking." Darien emerged from the hallway bleary eyed, rubbing his temples.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Serena released her hold of her cousin and bounded toward the still sleepy man, also throwing her arms around his waist, hugging him cheerily. Darien froze in place. His eyes shot wide open and he stared down at the chipper blonde teenager, obviously surprised. He didn't move a muscle. Andrew laughed at the sight of Darien's stiff face as Serena pulled away and looked up at the dark haired university student. He was absolutely still.

"Don't…" Darien murmured under his breath. "…touch..."

"Darien's socially retarded when it comes to modern etiquette and accepted common social behaviours of the twenty first century. He doesn't take well to physical contact… or to affection… or even to gifts." Andrew grinned teasingly as he leaned against the kitchen counter and sipped his coffee. Darien continued to stare at Serena strangely.

"I think I broke him." Serena turned to Andrew slowly. "Is there a reset button?"

"Yeah." Andrew picked up the small plate containing the brownies and waved it about. "Darien, chocolate." The immobile man snapped out of his trance and reached for the plate greedily.

"Mmm fudgey goodness." Darien reached over and stealthily ninja-d some of Andrew's chocolate slice.

"Hey!" Andrew protested childishly. Serena watched with amusement as the two grown men argued over her special Valentine's treat. "You know, Dar, you do realize that when White day comes around next month, we're going to have to pay 'Rena back three-fold, right?"

"What's white day?" Darien focused on rolling all the chocolate crumbs into a ball on his plate. He didn't want to waste anything.

"Told you," Andrew all-knowingly glanced over at Serena. "Social retard." He reiterated before turning back to his best buddy. "It's Valentine's Day, for girls. Tradition states that on Valentine's Day, girls give chocolate gifts to guys. In response, every man who receives a chocolatey treat on Valentine's Day must reciprocate two or three-fold, on March 14th, White Day."

"Hmm… is that so?" Darien sipped his coffee tentatively in thought. "I don't know…" He raised a careful eyebrow towards Serena. "Do we really want to feed Miss Garbage-guts here anymore sweets?"

"Garbage-guts?" Serena hollered out in protest. Darien smirked and placed his plate in the sink, ensuring that he was more than an arm's length away from Serena at all times.

"We don't want her to get any fatter, now do we?" He provoked, calling over his shoulder before swiftly slinking back down the hallway to hide.

"Fatter?!"

* * *

1 Month Later

"Happy White Day, 'Rena!" Andrew announced as Serena walked in, back from her study session with her friends. He set aside his task of food preparation for dinner momentarily as he handed his younger cousin a bouquet of yellow tulips.

"Oh, I love them! They're so beautiful! Thank you so much, Andy!" Serena raised the bouquet up to her nose, sniffing it gently.

"In the language of flowers, a gift of Yellow Tulips denotes that your smile is like sunshine." Andrew informed proudly.

"That's so sweet, Andy!" Serena squealed as she hugged her cousin gratefully.

"Is she home?" Darien peeked his head out from the hallway before retreating to his room as he spotted the giddy girl. Moments later, Darien reemerged from his room carrying in his arms a giant three foot plush white rabbit. "Happy White Day, Dumpling Head."

"Darien!" Serena exclaimed in disbelief as she leaped towards the huge toy bunny rabbit and wrapped her arms tightly around it, nuzzling her face against its belly. "It's so cute!"

"And a prolific breeder." Andrew smirked cheekily. "Symbolism, Darien?"

"No!" Darien snapped defensively. "I don't know…" His cheeks flushed a light crimson. "What are you looking at _me_ for? It's _her_ favorite animal."

"It's the biggest bunny I've ever seen!" Serena had long lost track of the conversation that was going on around her. She placed her giant gift down before wrapping her arms around Darien's waist in gratitude. His posture stiffened as he stood completely still once again. Serena giggled, feeling his muscles tense beneath her and she pulled away. "You're never going to get used to hugs, are you?" She scooped the soft lop eared toy rabbit up in her arms again, admiring its soft texture.

"Probably not." Darien mumbled, fidgeting with his hands soon after Serena pulled away.

"Thank you, Darien, but you went completely overboard with White Day." Serena smiled warmly as she dragged the plush toy over to the sofa and began grooming it.

"I did?" The clueless dark haired university student glanced over at his best friend who nodded quietly. "But you said gifts were meant to be returned, two or three-fold."

"Yes but she only made you a batch of chocolate brownies. I meant two or three-fold in price, not in size." Andrew explained.

"But I didn't pick her gift by size." Darien reached into his pocket, pulling out a long gift box. Serena looked up at the two men a few metres away from her. She raised a curious eyebrow at the man she had long come to know as _'the jerk'_. A faint rosy hue stained her cheeks as he stared at her with those eyes. The ones that always made her wonder what he was thinking about. The ones that seemed to glimmer mockingly, withholding secrets. The ones that made her feel as though he was staring at her with another emotion, one that wasn't contempt. "I thought you meant quantity. So I got her two gifts…" He slowly strolled over to Serena, who sat still, not quite understanding what was going on. Serena gingerly accepted the gift box and placed it down on her lap. She stared down at it, her fingers twitching as she reached for the ribbon.

"Hey, this isn't a trick is it? If I open the box, there won't be springy snakes jumping out and hitting me in the face, will there?" Serena looked up at the man before her skeptically. He gave her that look again, before smiling back and shaking his head silently. Convinced, yet still somewhat cautious, Serena pinched the end of one of the ribbons and pulled, unraveling it. She lifted the lid of the gift box to reveal a two toned white and yellow gold traditional charm bracelet. A red enamel rose charm hung from the centre of the bracelet. Serena's breath caught at the back of her throat as she closed the lid back on the box and thrust it back towards Darien.

"Don't you like it?" He looked down at the girl who sat there, offering to return his gift. A sharp pang followed by a sinking feeling struck across Darien's chest.

"No, that's not it at all." Serena shook her head vigorously. "I love it. It's the nicest thing anybody has ever given to me, but it's too much, Darien. It would have cost a small fortune, I can't accept it." She bowed her head as she extended her hands again, hoping that he would take his gift.

"Don't be ridiculous, Dumpling." Darien snatched the box off of her. He lifted the bracelet from its holdings and tossed the box aside. Before Serena could pull back, he wrapped the bracelet around her left wrist, clasping it into place. "I got you a gift, now the least you can do is wear it."

Serena's eyes lit up as she looked down at the bracelet on her wrist, then back up at the tall man before her. She moved to stand, her arms flew out from beside her and she leapt to her feet, but before she could come any closer, Darien thrust his right arm out. The palm of his hand smooshed up against Serena's nose as the rest of his long fingers sprawled against her forehead. Darien used his hand to hold Serena back at arm's length, preventing her from coming any further.

"Not again, Dumpling Head." Darien looked down at the squirming blonde schoolgirl. "Don't hug me..." He removed his hand slowly and strolled back to where a bemused Andrew watched from the kitchen. Sitting on one of the kitchen stools, Darien casually picked up a strip of capsicum from Andrew's chopping board and popped it in his mouth.

"You know," Andrew began quietly, noting that Serena had ceased staring at Darien's back, and had returned to grooming her plush bunny. "Psycho-anthropologically speaking, there have been studies done which indicate that in many ways men give jewelry to women to _'mark their territory'_, so to speak."

"It's just a bracelet." Darien leaned on the kitchen counter casually.

"Yes but the psychology behind gift giving is interesting, especially when it comes to jewelry. Gifts of jewelry are typically exchanged as a symbol of love. For a man to give the gift of jewelry, he is firstly, proving that he is an adequate provider, which is what evolution has molded every woman to look for in a man." Andrew continued, his eyes cast downwards as he chopped his chicken fillets.

"It's just a bracelet."

"Secondly," Andrew continued unaffected by Darien's simple dismissal. "Gifts of jewelry draw attention. So whether this attention comes from others or from the wearer herself, every time she sees it or somebody asks about it, she'll think of you. This will then, in turn, strengthen her thoughts and feelings towards you in a positive manner, you sly dog you."

"Drew, stop looking into it so much. It's really, just a bracelet!" Darien rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his dark hair with frustration.

"Even the type of jewelry given is symbolic. The fact that you gave her a bracelet is symbolic of wanting to hold her hand…"

"Drew, seriously, get over it! Stop over-analyzing everything. You're reading into it too much. It's just a damn bracelet, it's not like I'm asking her to marry me."

"Right… the fact that you even mentioned marriage is a sign that-"

"No it's not!" Darien interrupted, smacking his palm against his forehead in frustration. "I hate when you take psychology subjects."

"Now, what should I name you, Mister bunny?" Serena lifted the plush rabbit up and placed it on a chair at the end of the dining table.

"How about Marshmallow?" Andrew suggested and watched Serena frown in thought.

"Snowball?" Darien added. Serena shook her head.

"Butterscotch?" Andrew and Darien began to take turns throwing ideas for bunny names about.

"Hershey?"

"Reeces!"

"Haha, I like that one."Andrew grinned. "Reeces without-her-spoon."

"Arnold Schwarzenegger." Andrew and Darien both laughed at the thought of Serena's innocent fluffy plush rabbit being named after a fictional killing machine.

"Ohh, ohh!" Darien clicked his fingers in thought. "Yoda!"

"Yoda's green." Andrew smirked. "You need someone grayish white." He watched as both Serena and Darien's eyes lit up. They both shared a light bulb moment.

"Gandalf!" Serena and Darien exclaimed at the same time.

"Wow, Dumpling Head, you surprise me sometimes. I never would have picked you for a _Lord of theRings_ fan.

"There's a lot about me that you don't know." Serena huffed before turning to her plush toy. "Isn't that right, Gandalf?" She asked rhetorically before tugging on the bunny's ear, making it nod its head in agreement. Walking over to the fridge, Serena picked up a pen and crossed off Number 4 from Darien's list.

"What are you doing, Dumpling?" Darien glanced over at the blonde girl.

"Crossing off number 4 from your list, buy a pet rabbit." Serena smiled cheerily.

"You should probably cross off number 5 too then." Andrew mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Serena turned to face her cousin just as Darien hurled a strip of capsicum at his face.

"Nothing! Nothing at all." Andrew sang out, wiping capsicum juices off his forehead.

"Well Darien," Serena grinned as she swiveled back to the somewhat annoyed looking man, sitting on the kitchen stool. "You've started it, so it looks like you're going to have to complete your list after all." She was interrupted by the sound of an electronic device beeping from her book bag, by the door. Instinctively, she leaped for it, clutching her bag close to her chest.

"What's that? Is someone trying to call you?" Andrew chopped the last of the garlic up finely.

"Yes… uh, no… I mean…" Serena stuttered. "It's probably just one of the girls." She shrugged and let out a nervous giggle. "I should probably get some more study done tonight. How long away is dinner, Andy?"

"I'd say about half an hour away. I'll come and get you when it's done." Andrew offered as Darien eyed down Serena's beeping book bag suspiciously.

"No! I mean… I can get pretty carried away in my study sometimes. I'll come out when I start to get hungry." Serena quickly blurted out before running into her room.

"That was a little strange." Andrew noted, mostly to himself.

"Phone call from her boyfriend, maybe?" Darien folded his arms across his chest, trying to sound indifferent.

"Jealous, maybe?" Andrew's playful taunt was met with silence. He looked over at Darien to find him clutching at his head, evidently in pain. "Moonie call?"

"Yeah, I've gotta go." Darien stumbled to his feet and produced a rose with the flick of his wrist.

"If I'm not back in time, save me some dinner. Make sure garbage-guts doesn't eat it all." He transformed swiftly and made his way to the apartment balcony, leaping off of it and onto the street eight stories below.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to watching him do that." Andrew shook his head, muttering to himself.

* * *

. . .

Dun dun dun! Hope you liked the chapter ^_^ you'll have to wait a couple more weeks for the next one. In the meantime let me know of your favourite dishes and I may just decide to cook them these holidays. Please Review guys!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	7. Juggling Lies & Disappearing Acts

Hi everyone! As promised, I have returned after a grueling two weeks of studying my butt off. It was probably the hardest I've ever studied and hopefully I'll pass all my subjects (I have doubts for 2 of them :P) Thank you all so very much for your well wishes and your recipe ideas. I'm feeling pretty inspired and loved! It always amazes me how many reviews I get for this story, and my little fanbase seems to be growing with every chapter. So thanks for being awesome guys! I'm on Uni holidays for a month now and my 10 year anniversary is coming up, so I'll be working hard to post up extra chapters for you guys as a special treat to say thanks.

_**Thanks to: **_Kelly, Fedski, deedee, Moon Princess Selene, Jenbunny, merangelgal, inufan155687, Goddess of the Moonlit Sky, sailormoon489, Ruk, saban moon, Usako, life705, stephums, Stacey, moon86, devilsangels11287, Miss Katrina Malfoy, xx, My Veggie Burger, SulliMike23, Shinobi of life, x-YingYing-x, ScarletL, TaliMoonAngel668, SerentiyMoonGodness _**and **_CharmedSerenity3 _**for reviewing the previous chapter :)**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 7. Juggling Lies & Disappearing Acts

. . .

"Quit. Don't quit. Noodles. Don't noodles. You are too concerned with what was and what will be. There's a saying. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the 'present'."  
_[-Master Oogway, Kung-Fu Panda.]_

. . .

Another day, another battle, another ugly dusted Dark Kingdom monster. The only noticeable difference was the strange, awkward formality between Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon. She had tripped and fallen during the battle. He had swooped in, scooping her up into his arms, delivering her out of harm's way. She thanked him politely and reached for her tiara, delivering a swift serving of justice. He tipped his top hat silently and walked away with no further words of encouragement.

"That was strange." Luna stepped up to Sailor Moon as she watched Tuxedo Mask's retreating figure. "Did you two have a fight? That went a little too smoothly."

"Oh, Luna. I've missed you!" Sailor Moon dropped to her knees and lifted the black cat up into her arms. "You look thin, is Mina feeding you properly?"

"Hey, I resent that." Sailor Venus pouted like a petulant child as she watched her leader rise up in a hurry.

"Guy's I'd love to chat for a little while, but I've gotta go. Andy's cooking dinner as we speak and in any moment he's going to burst into my room and find me missing. He'll flip and I won't be able to explain my disappearance." Sailor Moon placed Luna back onto the ground after another quick hug.

"Why don't you just tell him? It's not like he's a parent. He's pretty cool, he'll probably understand, right?" Sailor Jupiter reasoned.

"If he knows, then that Darien-idiot will probably find out, and I'll never hear the end of it. It's bad enough that Serena gets teased, the last thing I need is to give him more ammunition to use against me." Sailor Moon sulked briefly before turning to sprint back to the apartment, waving to her fellow Sailor Soldiers from over her shoulder. "Catch you guys later!"

"She's going to get caught one day…" Sailor Mars mused as she watched Sailor Moon stumble in the distance.

"What I'm more concerned about is Miss Klutzoid Queen falling from eight stories up and becoming a Moon pancake." Luna lowered her head as she sighed woefully. "I don't think we'll ever find our Moon Princess."

* * *

_Knock Knock_

"'Rena, dinner's ready." Andrew knocked gently on Serena's bedroom door. There was no response. "Serena? Are you asleep?" Andrew called through the door once again as he turned the handle to her room and slowly pushed it open. As he looked about the small room, it took him a few seconds to realize that Serena was nowhere to be found. The sinking feeling in the pit of Andrew's stomach was multiplied ten-fold as he realized her window was wide open. Running over in a heartbeat, he stuck his head out of the apartment window and looked for any signs of Serena on the pavement below. Nothing. Panic set in. Where was she? How had she snuck out? They lived on the eighth storey of the apartment building.

As many more questions ran through Andrew's mind, he slowly backed out of Serena's room and shut the door behind him. His heart was beating erratically in his chest as he paced back and forth from the hallway to the living area and back again. What was he supposed to do? Should he call the police? Should he call aunty Ikuko? As Andrew wrung his sweaty, nervous hands together, he heard the familiar thud of a set of boots landing on the balcony. Tuxedo Mask stepped into the apartment, transforming back into his civilian form as he snuck past the curtains.

"Have you guys eaten yet?" Darien casually stepped past an anxious Andrew, towards the dining table which had been set for three. "Oh good, just in time then."

"Dar-" Andrew began, stopping just as he realized that he didn't know what to say. Beads of sweat clung to his forehead, and his stomach tied into knots as he watched his best friend sit down at the dinner table.

"Do you want me to go call Sere?" Darien moved to stand just as Serena's bedroom door creaked open and she strolled out ever so casually.

"Mmm, dinner smells so good that I had to stop studying because it was starting to make my tummy grumble!" Serena shuffled down the hallway, smiling happily as she took a seat at the dinner table.

"S-S-Serena?" Andrew stared at the clueless teen in disbelief.

"What's wrong, Andy? You look like you've seen a ghost." Serena tilted her head to the side.

"Yeah, are you feeling alright? You look a little pale, buddy." Darien turned around in his seat. Andrew shook his head in dismissal.

"No, I'm fine." He stated flatly, cautiously watching both Serena and Darien as he sat down at the dinner table.

"Itadakimasu!" Serena and Darien called out as Andrew silently attempted to collect and compile his thoughts. He tried every rational explanation he could, but nothing. The one conclusion that stuck in his mind seemed a little too farfetched. Serena couldn't be… no. That would be a little too serendipitous, wouldn't it? Two superheroes under one roof, each oblivious to the others' identities.

"So," Andrew drawled. "This… Tuxedo Mask super hero guy… Surely he's homosexual, don't you think 'Rena?"

"What?!" Darien spat, his head snapping straight over towards his (ex)best friend. "You're _kidding_, right?" Andrew ignored his friends' naturally adverse reaction to his question and continued to look at Serena, waiting for her opinion.

"I don't think so…" Serena replied simply. "I mean, he's always saving Sailor Moon from trouble, right? I'd like to think that he is madly in love with her."

"What? If anything she's the one that's madly in love with him." Darien interjected between bites.

"Maybe." Serena shrugged, her cheeks turning a dark shade of crimson. "But I think they make a really good couple. I don't think Tuxedo Mask is Gay at all. In fact, I hope he's not. He's kinda cute."

"Really?" Darien raised an eyebrow, suddenly becoming interested in Serena's opinion. "Just 'cute'? I mean, you know… not charming, or handsome, or incredibly strong and manly?"

"He seems a bit stuck up at times, actually." Serena shrugged simply.

"Stuck up?!"

"Hmm, interesting." Andrew interjected, carefully analyzing both Darien and Serena's reactions and comments.

"What do you mean, Andy?" Serena tilted her head with curiosity.

"Well, if Tuxedo Mask had to save either you or Sailor Moon from a burning building, who do you think he would go for?"

"That's easy. He'd save Sailor Moon first, for sure."

"Wrong." Darien interrupted. "He'd save you first. Sailor Moon is a superhero. She can look after herself, but you… you'd need protecting."

"Ok, ok. Let's put this in another way." Andrew was beginning to enjoy this game of his, that only he knew about. "Daz, from a guy's perspective… if Tuxedo Mask had to pick, who would he go on a date with, 'Rena or Sailor Moon?"

"Uhh…" Darien jabbed a piece of chicken with his fork as he thought. "I guess… if I were this Tuxedo Mask dude, I'd probably choose Dumpling Head over here, simply because I don't know anything about Sailor Moon, so I wouldn't know whether or not to trust her."

"Really… that's interesting." Andrew mentally noted. He was surprised. It was not the answer he (or any sane, hot blooded, mini-skirt-loving man) had expected.

"Sailor Moon is _so_ trustworthy!" Serena jumped to the heroine's defense a little too quickly. "She fights for love and justice and she's _always_ busting her butt to protect Tokyo and the rest of the world."

"Really, Serena? Of all the potentially incriminating things he just said, _that_'s what you got from Darien's answer?" Andrew slowly began to accumulate his evidence as both Darien and Serena sat in silence, their cheeks slightly flushed. Serena had been so caught up in the moment, ever ready to oppose Darien, that she had failed to notice that he had chosen her over her super heroine alter ego. By this time, Darien had also realized that by choosing Serena over Sailor Moon, he had made a highly unlikely decision and perhaps had even betrayed a glimpse of his inner fondness for the teenage school girl. For Andrew, Serena's last statement had been the last nail in her proverbial coffin. He had a mighty hard time believing it, but he was almost certain of her secret identity.

"So…" Darien made an effort to keep the conversation flowing in an attempt to shift the focus of attention away from his response. "You have a crush on Tuxedo Mask, huh?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Serena tried her best to mask her true feelings. The last thing she needed was for Darien-idiot to be making fun of her again, based on her choice of men. Thankfully for her though, he was too deep in his own thoughts to even focus on Serena's response. He was certain that Sailor Moon had feelings for Tuxedo Mask, it was clear as day. But now Serena too? What was he going to do with this newfound information? What if Serena one day found out that _he_ was Tuxedo Mask? Boy, would she be disappointed.

Things were slightly more complicated for Serena though. Even though she had already admitted that she had a crush on Darien to her diary, it was pretty evident that Darien had no such feelings for her. And even though she had developed feelings for Darien, she still found herself being swept off her feet and mesmerized by Tuxedo Mask whenever he came to Sailor Moon's rescue. Serena seemed to be in love with two men at once, and what made things that little more complicated for her was the fact that Darien had just revealed that he was not a Sailor Moon fan. What if he ever found out who she was? He would be even more repulsed by her than he was now.

Serena needed a plan. She needed to start gaining Darien's attention. She needed him to notice her, and she needed to try and change his opinion of Sailor Moon somehow. But most importantly, she knew she had to try something, anything to get Darien to stop thinking of her as just a ditzy dumpling headed schoolgirl, and start thinking of her as the woman she would officially become in merely a few months.

* * *

"Wait, you want me to do what?" Darien almost choked as he laughed out loud.

"I want to take Latin dance lessons, but I need a partner. _Please_ Darien… You're the last person on the face of the Earth that I would ask, but I've already exhausted all my alternative options, and besides, it's on your New Year's List, right?"

"Well, yes, but I think you're forgetting that I had no intentions of doing any of the things I wrote down on that list."

"Please, Darien." Serena pleaded, placing a hand on Darien's arm to emphasize her dire predicament. He looked down at the small delicate hand resting on his arm for a moment.

"Fine." Eventually he rolled his eyes, caving in to her request. "When do these classes start?"

"In twenty minutes." Serena threw her gym bag over her shoulders. "Hurry up and change or we'll miss the first lesson."

"What in the world did I sign myself up for?" Darien groaned as he rushed into his room to throw on his gym gear.

* * *

"One-and-two. Three-and-four."

"Ow, watch the feet, Dumpling!" Darien whispered harshly under his breath.

"I'm sorry! I told you, I'm not very good at this co-ordination thing…" Serena glanced down at her feet to try to get herself moving in time to the music once again. Sure, it was a little embarrassing constantly tripping over herself, but at least he was close, he was holding her. Just as she felt like she was starting to get the hang of the footwork, the glass from the front window of the studio imploded, sending various shards skimming along the smooth polished floor.

"Terpsichore!" An unnatural impish winged female burst through the remnants of the studio window. She held her lyre in one hand while the other grasped a hold of an innocent younger woman. "Energy!" Her crimson stained eyes smoldered intensely as her raspy voice echoed an eerie delight to have found the source of what she was craving.

"Run to the car." Darien instinctively stepped in front of Serena, shielding her from harm.

"But Dar-"

"Wait for me by the car." He reiterated once again, becoming a little more agitated at the disobedient teen. Darien knew he could save everybody, but not at the risk of Serena's safety. He needed her to be far away from there, and he needed to protect his identity. After watching Serena escape out of the corner of his eye, via the back entrance of the building, a quick flick of Darien's wrist produced a rose, and the masked hero lunged toward the grotesque monster.

Serena would have protested harder, after all, she was the one with the super heroine abilities, but there was nothing she could do now. Darien obviously felt strongly enough about keeping her safe as he tried to step in and save the day, and besides, what more could she do in her civilian form to help? Serena needed to get out and find somewhere safe to transform, and transform she did. By the time she had undergone her powered up metamorphosis, the battle had spilled onto the street outside. Sailor Moon waited for the opportune time to step in, noticing that for once, Tuxedo Mask had made it onto the scene before she had.

"Hold it right there!" Sailor Moon stepped forth from the darkness. The light from the setting sun illuminated her entrance, setting her aglow. The green skinned imp hissed back, not well accustomed to being interrupted as she scouted for energy.

"Terpsichore!" She shouted once more before Sailor Moon could finish her spiel, and lunged toward the blonde heroine.

"Eww eww get away!" Sailor Moon whimpered as she turned to run, but found herself backed against the wall of another building. A piercing red rose hurled through the air and grazed past the demon's arm. She yelped out in pain, diverting her attention back to the masked man, charging toward him with every attack she had.

"Now, Sailor Moon!" He groaned, using his cane to stave off each attack as best as he could.

"Oh, right!" Sailor Moon reached for her tiara and expertly conducted her signature attack. Her golden razor Frisbee pierced through the monster's back, vanquishing it with an agonizing cry. The power of the moon reduced it's body to a fine dust that coated Tuxedo Mask from top to toe. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, the mysterious protector rose to his feet and attempted to brush the demon dust off his suit. It was then that Sailor Moon approached cautiously.

"You uh… You dropped this." She held out the golden trinket within her hands. Tuxedo Mask glanced down at the blonde heroine and reached out for his locket. As his gloved fingers grazed along hers, the delicate mechanisms within the locket began to click into place. The domed lid flipped open and a gentle melancholy melody began to resound into the night. Tuxedo Mask watched as Sailor Moon's eyes lit up happily at the sight of the functioning star locket.

"Keep it." He murmured under his breath, gently pressing his hands against hers to wrap them around the gold star.

"A-are you sure?" Sailor Moon glanced up in astonishment at the masked man who had turned his back toward her and was already beginning to make his mysterious exit.

"Sure. Keep it safe for me. I'll probably end up losing it again." A rare, gentle smile graced his lips before he bounded away across the rooftops of Tokyo. Sailor Moon watched his retreating form wistfully as a bitter pang of guilt resounded through her heart. A few months ago, she would have given anything to be in the situation she was in now. It seemed that she was now starting to get close to Tuxedo Mask. She should have been happy. She should have been ecstatic. She should have been completely and utterly over the moon. They had just shared such a romantic moment. But it felt strange now. It wasn't right. These days, it seemed as though all she could think about was Darien.

"Oh no, Darien!" Sailor Moon cursed under her breath as she realized that the civilians that had been unconscious during the battle were now starting to rouse. Surely Darien would have to be somewhere among them all, and he would come to at any moment now. Swiftly ducking into the shadows, Sailor Moon de-transformed and ran straight to the car park at the rear of the building.

"Where have you been?" Darien called out in agitation at the first sight of the flighty blonde teen, from beside his car. "I told you to wait here!"

"I did, then I went to look for you!" Serena ran up to the red convertible. "I heard loud noises. I was worried about you!" She reached out her hand and grabbed onto his arm.

"You could have been hurt! You should have just stayed here like I told you to." Darien raked his fingers through his dark hair in annoyance. "Why didn't you just listen to me?" Serena looked up at the tall, handsome man before her. Her heart skipped a beat and her cheeks flushed a deep crimson.

"I was worried about you." She answered quietly. Her heart thumped wildly within her chest. Her words, they almost felt like a confession. Darien's gaze softened as he noticed the sincerity within Serena's eyes. He had never seen her looking at him like that. It seemed as though she wanted to tell him something.

"We… should probably go back home. It looks like everyone's alright in there, and I don't really feel like giving a police statement." Darien awkwardly shifted under Serena's gaze as he unlocked the car and reached for his door handle.

* * *

Serena glanced up from her diary entry. It was almost midnight, but she couldn't sleep. Although the adrenaline from the battle was long gone, many questions remained. It was clear that she no longer had the same feelings for Tuxedo Mask that she once did. She still cared for him, but now that she had officially admitted her feelings for Darien to herself, things had changed. What was she going to do? She always had an inkling that Tuxedo Mask secretly harboured feelings towards her, but now, it seemed like the locket gift affirmed that.

"But still…" Serena absentmindedly fumbled with the enamel rose charm on her bracelet. "I don't know what to do." She reached for the star locket and gently opened the lid. The soft melody pierced through the silence of the night, filling the room with its slow, haunting tune.

As Darien quietly tiptoed back towards his room after raiding the fridge for a midnight snack, the faint tinkering of a familiar melody caught his attention. The sound seemed to be coming from Serena's room. Ever so gently, he pressed his ear up against her door in an attempt to ensure that he was hearing correctly. In amongst the soft sounds of his star locket, he could hear Serena sigh.

"Maybe I'd have a chance with Tuxedo Mask after all." Her muffled voice hinted at disappointment, but Darien was too distracted to notice. The realization hit him all at once like a tonne of bricks. Her crush, the locket, why she wasn't waiting for him by the car, it all made sense now. _Serena was Sailor Moon._

* * *

_. . ._

Ahh, a part of fate's plans maybe? Another one of her games? Oh, it's so hard to keep a secret when you're the only one oblivious to the fact that it's no longer a secret. So a partial revelation… a little closer to the manga in a way, but in my opinion, it makes the Sere/Dar relationship more fun to experiment with. I have a feeling this will be my longest story yet. I've already written the second New Years chapter and I'm certain you'll all love it. Now to fill in the chapters in between, haha! Hope you liked this one. Please read and review and I'll see you all next week for another chapter!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	8. The Many Faces of Serena

Hey guys. This chap is a little jumpy, I know. But I had a few snippets of ideas here and there, each of them, I thought, were important, yet not long enough to create a whole chapter around. So here's a little collage of what our favourite trio is up to.

**Thanks to: **Maetel, Miss Katrina Malfoy, life705, Jessica, CharmedSerenity3, TaliMoonAngel, serenityangelrose, Moon Princess Selene, Goddess of the Moonlit Sky, IceQueenBarbarien, Usako, ScarletL, SerentiyMoonGodness, stephumz, sailormoon489, Bookworm, moon86, Shinobi of life, Kelly, My Veggie Burger, deedee _**and**_ SulliMike23 _**for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 8- The Many Faces of Serena

. . .

"You can't be who you are if you're living to be like someone else."  
_[- Rodel Natividad Casio]_

. . .

**Romantic**

Serena gently caressed the curved edges of the golden star locket in her hands as she ate her breakfast. She carried it with her everywhere now, and every now and then she would open the delicate domed lid, listening to the reassuring melody play just for her.

"That's a pretty locket you've got there, 'Rena." Andrew sat down beside the blonde teenage girl and poured some cereal into his bowl. "Does it play music?"

"Yes, it does." Serena smiled and lifted the lid to demonstrate just as Darien stepped down the hallway and into the living room area. He exchanged curious glances with Andrew who had noticed his presence.

"Did you get that from your boooooyfrieeeend?" Andrew teased, still watching Darien as he glared back, reaching for his own cereal bowl.

"No, I'm just minding it for a... friend." Serena smiled simply as she clamped the locket shut, finished her breakfast and collected her plate to take into the kitchen. "I don't have a boyfriend."

"That's what I like to hear!" Andrew waved his milky spoon about.

"I bet her boyfriend-less state isn't by choice, Drew." Darien casually meandered over to the dining table from the kitchen, taking his cereal bowl with him.

"That's not true!" Serena blew a raspberry at the dark haired man. "For _your_ information Darien-idiot, if anything, I have _too many_ choices." She patted Gandalf on the head and huffed slightly before heading back down the hallway to finish getting ready for school.

"So..." Andrew waited until his little cousin was out of earshot before proceeding with his interrogation. "That's your locket, isn't it?"

"That, it is." Darien nodded his head and answered simply.

"Why did you give it to her?"

"I didn't." Darien replied simply once again and waited for Andrew's confused look before proceeding to clear up the matter. Sure enough, it came. "Tuxedo Mask gave the locket to Sailor Moon." To Darien's surprise, Andrew chuckled.

"If only she knew who you were, she wouldn't be waving that thing around so often, if at all." He let out another small laugh.

"Wait, you know what that means, right?" Darien dropped his spoon into his cereal bowl and turned to his best friend. "Your little cousin, hurricane Dumpling Head, is Sailor Moon."

"Yes I know." It was now Andrew's turn to give frustratingly short responses.

"Are you kidding me?" Darien's face contorted as he struggled to come to terms with what he was hearing. It seemed that everybody in the world knew that Serena was Sailor Moon before he, her protector, did. "I've been racking my brains out for the past two weeks trying to figure out a way to tell you that your little cousin gets her butt handed to her just about every second night by some sort of slobbering melting goo-dribbling underworld demon, and you already knew?!"

"Sure did." Andrew leant back in his chair and cracked his knuckles in a nonchalant manner.

"And you didn't think to tell me? I have to swoop in and save her every night. You didn't think to tell me to look out for her?" Darien was practically tearing his hair out in frustration.

"You do it anyway." Andrew shrugged. "Whether she's Sailor Moon or just Serena, I know you'll protect her. It wouldn't have made any difference if you knew or not, either way, I knew she'd be safe in your care. Am I right, or am I right?"

"You should have at least told me that you knew." Darien crossed his arms and pouted like a child.

"But anyway, we should probably let her know that we know. That way she won't have to sneak out of her bedroom window. It gives me a heart attack every time I find her window open and her bedroom empty."

"No." Darien interjected. "I don't want her to know who I am."

"Aww, is this because she has a crush on Tuxedo Mask, and not Darien?" Andrew playfully patted his friend on the shoulder before taking his bowl into the kitchen for a wash.

"No it's not that. Well, it sort of is. If she knew who I was, she would start acting all strange and weird and if she's not totally focused, then it could put everybody in danger. The less people who know about my identity, the better." Darien frowned in thought again. "I'm sure she feels the same. It's her secret. If you want to tell her that you know, then go ahead. She's your family after all, but I think she'd be more comfortable thinking that I didn't know."

"I suppose that's fair enough." Andrew nodded in agreement, and with that, the matter was settled.

* * *

**Teen Heroine**

As Sailor Moon bounded effortlessly across the rooftops of Tokyo, her heart raced within her chest. Partly from the adrenalin leftover from the battle and dusting another one of those ugly demon pawns, but mostly from the rush of having to sneak out and sneak back into the apartment undetected. It still took a lot of coordination to slip into her bedroom window from the rooftop, but she seemed to be getting the hang of it. As Sailor Moon expertly swung into her open bedroom window, she held her breath, trying to land with a gentle, quiet click of her boots. Success. Or so she thought. Just as her heels found the safety of firm ground once more, Sailor Moon turned around just in time to see her bedroom door swing open and light flood her room.

"Andr..." Sailor Moon was caught red handed. She was busted. There was no way around it. She wondered if it would be better to play along as Serena in a cosplay outfit, or admit to being Sailor Moon, lost in the wrong apartment.

"Save it, 'Rena. I know." Andrew slipped into the room and shut the door behind him. He watched as the heroine looked about the room unsure of what to do. "I know that that's not just a costume either. You're not cosplaying. I know who you are and what you do."

"Can you... turn around please?" Sailor Moon waited for his cousin to turn around and shield his eyes before she waved a hand across her brooch and de-transformed. "How... how did you find out?"

"You just told me." Andrew took a seat on Serena's desk chair. "I had my suspicions. I've walked into your empty room a few times, only to have you walk out of it a few seconds later."

"D-does... Darien know?"

"I haven't told him, if that's what you mean." Andrew artfully dodged the question without having to lie to his cousin. She seemed to breathe a small sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Serena fidgeted with her fingers.

"It's fine. I get it. You needed to keep your secret, well, a secret. But I'm glad I know now-"

"I'm glad you know too. It's a weight of my shoulders." Serena added eagerly. "I've wanted to tell you ever since I moved in but... well..." Her voice died as she struggled to think of an excuse or a reasonable explanation as to why she hadn't told him of her alter ego.

"'Rena," Andrew's voice seemed small and quiet. "Just be careful." He added with a gentle smile.

"And for goodness sake, use the elevator every now and then, okay?"

"I promise." Serena nodded and smiled with relief.

* * *

**Domestic**

"Chocolate or Vanilla?" Andrew asked, playing his usual laundry day game with Serena as they sat in the communal laundry room of the apartment building.

"Umm... chocolate, no! Vanilla." Serena frowned, deep in thought. "Can I pick strawberry?" She asked, loading her freshly washed clothes into a dryer. Andrew shook his head no, but before the school girl could reconsider her options, an urgent sounding alarm began to beep away within her pocket.

"Go save the world, I'll finish doing your laundry." Andrew hopped off his spot on the bench and reached for Serena's basket. She smiled gratefully before dashing off.

"Use the lift!" Andrew called out after her.

* * *

**Naive**

Darien strolled back into the apartment with a basket of washing tucked under his arm. Walking past the kitchen, he greeted Andrew who was busily making lasagne for dinner.

"Hey," Andrew waved his free hand. "Looks like it was laundry day for you too, huh?"

"Yeah and I picked up a freebie too." Darien set his basket of laundry on the dining table and hoisted up a pink and white polka dot bra, using his pinky finger. Just as he was about to make a crude joke, Serena skipped down the hallway and tackled the tall man, snatching her undergarment away.

"Hey! That's mine, pervert!" Serena hid her bra behind her back.

"Really? Are you sure? It's got polka dots on them. Aren't you a little too old to be wearing polka dots?" Darien crossed his arms, smiling haughtily.

"No!" Serena snapped back, huffing away stray strands of hair. "How did you even get this, _paedophile_? Are you stalking me now? You know, I'm just across the hall from you."

"I know. It just makes getting away with sleeping in your bed when you're not home, _so_ much easier." Darien retorted, acting rather blasé.

"What?!"

"I'm kidding." He rolled his eyes. "It must've been left behind in the dryer and I guess I pulled it out with my load of washing. I didn't notice it until I got into the elevator."

"Eww. My clothes were tumbling around in the dryer with yours?" Serena scrunched up her nose with repugnance.

"Yeah, it was rubbing up against my underwear and making undergarment babies."

"That's disgusting!" The blonde stormed off to her room. "I'm going to have to throw these out now." Darien chuckled watching the blonde teen stomp away and shut her bedroom door behind her.

"That's a pity. I thought they were cute." He picked up his basket of laundry and was so caught up in the moment that he just about forgot that Andrew was still in the room.

"Dude, that's my baby cousin." Andrew looked up briefly as he chopped a clove of garlic.

"What? Yeah, no... I know." Darien looked about, flustered at being caught. "I just... I mean... I didn't mean to say cute. I just thought that it was funny. You know, the thought of Sailor Moon wearing... I mean, it's not funny. It's a serious matter that highlights... just how young the heroes of our society are these days... and the strains that we all put on these... young teens to perform to such great..."

"Just keep your perverted thoughts about 'Rena to yourself, okay? Whatever you want to do with her undergarments in your own time, in your own room, just keep it to yourself, okay? I really don't need to know." Andrew shook his head and picked up his wooden spoon to stir his sauce.

"That's just... Shut up, Drew."

* * *

**Insecure**

_Dear Diary,_

_Darien just found my pink polka dot bra, in with his laundry. I'm so embarrassed. I don't think I've ever been this embarrassed in my whole entire life. He was making fun of me! He said I was too old to be wearing polka dots. Now not only does he think I'm a complete idiot and immature, it probably just reinforces the fact that I'm just a kid. I'll never be a mature, sophisticated, smart woman in his eyes. What do I do? I just bought a set of cute set of Minnie Mouse undies and now it looks like I'll have to throw them out. I don't have to, but I probably should. It's time to face the facts. I'm not a kid anymore and I don't want to be seen as one. So from now on, to get Darien's attention, I'll have to dress more maturely and act smarter and more sophisticated. I will be a woman!_

_-Sere_

* * *

**Stubborn**

"I-I don't know about that top. It's a bit low cut don't you think?" Ami timidly looked up from her book as she and the other girls waited in the ladies change room.

"And that skirt, Serena. Since when did you start wearing miniskirts? That skirt is shorter than our Sailor skirts!" Lita added. "Are you trying to impress someone?"

"No, not at all." Serena tugged on the bottom of her skirt in an attempt to cover up a little more of her body. "I just thought it was time to change my style a little. You know, dress more... grown up."

"Grown up? Who are you trying to impress, Serena?" Rei tilted her head to the side curiously,

"Darien?" Serena deadpanned as she tried to keep herself from turning beet red.

"Oh Serena!" Mina giggled as she threw her arms around her friend. "That's so sweet. Have you told him yet? Ooh! What about Tuxie boy huh?"

"Dibs!" Rei hollered, sticking a hand in the air.

"No!" Serena whined, pulling the top of her shirt up to stop her breasts from falling out. "I already have dibs on Tux-"

"You can't have _both_, _Ser-eeeena_. That's just plain selfish!" Rei reiterated, thus continuing their usual bicker-fest

"Can _too_! I saw them both first!"

"Well, I was _born_ first."

"That just makes you an old hag!"

"I may be older, but my boobs are also bigger!"

"They're _so_ not bigger! Saggier, maybe-"

"Well, we'll just see whose boobs Darien notices first then, shall we? I'll bet you ten dollars it'll be mine." Rei squabbled and blew Serena a raspberry. The blonde teen huffed loudly and stomped towards the shop counter with her card.

"I'll take these." She handed her card to the sales assistant. "And I'll wear them now, if that's okay." As the sales assistant placed Serena's other purchases and her old outfit into a bag, the rest of the girls glanced over at each other uneasily. They tried to convince Serena that this wasn't a great idea, but Rei stubbornly wanted to see how far the petite blonde would go to prove a point.

Ignoring the advice of her friends, Serena slipped into a pair of freshly bought red heels to match her crimson halter with the plunging neckline and tried to conceal her unsteadiness as she strutted towards the Crown Arcade. As the automatic glass doors of the arcade slid open and the newly transformed Serena stepped through the threshold, it seemed as though the usual loud beeping and clatter of all the game machines eventually died down to a quiet hum. The sound of Serena's heels clicked across the tiled floor as Serena eyed down the cafe counter for any sign of her housemate. Bingo.

As he sensed the change in the atmosphere and the feeling of being watched, Darien spun around on his bar stool to see what had distracted virtually every person in the arcade from their games. What he saw took his breath away. Serena glanced towards the new Sailor V machine as she slowly stepped towards an empty booth, murmuring something to her blonde friend, who giggled and nodded. Just as Serena was about to reach her booth, a game token slipped from her hands and fell to the floor at her feet. Darien cringed, knowing all too well that there was absolutely no way that Serena could pick up that token with any scrap of modesty. Not with those heels, that super short denim mini and that cowl neck plunging halter that was already showing quite a sufficient amount of Serena's cleavage. Jumping to his feet, Darien swooped down on the dumpling headed schoolgirl and yanked her arm up before she could bend over any more. Serena gave a small yelp as Darien swiftly dragged her out of the arcade and away from interested, and possibly opportunistic, eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" He growled under his breath as he continued to pull on Serena's arm, leading her through the arcade doors.

"You owe me ten bucks!" Serena called out to one of her friends, ignoring the evidently irritated Darien. Finally out of the arcade and away from public view, Darien pulled the teen into a nearby alleyway, pushing her rather forcefully up against a wall. Serena yelped out once again in shock as Darien pinned her shoulders back and leant forward, up against her. For the first time that afternoon, Serena looked the tall, dark haired man in the eyes. The look that he was giving terrified her.

"What are you doing, Serena?" He asked once again.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." She squirmed against him, her chest rising and falling rapidly as her pulse began to accelerate and her flight responses kicked in.

"What are you trying to do? Are you trying to get yourself into trouble? Because that's exactly what you'll find walking around, looking like that." Blue flames flickered within Darien's eyes, and Serena nibbled on her lip nervously, trying to decipher his emotions from the look in his eyes. Malice? No. Fury? Not quite. Possessiveness? Getting closer. Desire?... Unfortunately, no. That wasn't it either. Serena's eyes began to shimmer with freshly formed tears. She may have won the bet against Rei, but it was evident that she was still far from winning over Darien's affections. He seemed to be looking at her with contempt; with disgust.

"Darien, you're hurting me." Serena tried to wriggle out of Darien's grasp, but to no avail.

"Really? Because it seems as though that's what you're aiming for. You seem to be hell bent on trying to find trouble today, and you're certainly getting your fair share of attention."

"Darien, please." Tears began to flow freely from Serena's eyes. "I just wanted to prove to Rei that I could get a guy to notice me." Serena's chest began to rise and fall with jagged, hiccupped breaths as her cries intensified. Realising that he had probably gone a little too far, Darien pulled back slowly, sighing in complete frustration as he raked his fingers through his jet black hair.

"Sere, you don't have to be dressed like that to get a guy to notice you." He frowned at the still clearly distraught teen. "And you don't have to prove anything to anyone other than yourself, Dumpling." She liked it when he called her by that name. It usually meant that everything between them was fine. "I didn't mean to be so rough with you. I'm sorry." He glanced over, listening to the distance between her sobs became greater. "It's just..."

"You care about me, right?" Serena sniffled.

"If Andrew saw you like that, he would be furious." Darien corrected. "You can't walk around like that. Someone could come along and..." His voice trailed away as he turned and noticed her looking up at him. Her big, cerulean eyes glistened innocently. "I suppose you could call it caring, sorta. I'm just concerned for your safety, okay? You're just so airheaded and carefree all the time." Darien admitted quietly before quickly changing the subject. "Come on, hurry up, let's go home." He slipped his jacket off and wrapped it around Serena's shoulders to preserve some scrap of her modesty.

As they stepped out of the shadows of the alleyway, Serena's heel rolled over a small pebble, causing her to lose balance and fall on her ankle. She cried out loudly, trying to pull herself up from her half pretzel twist position. Darien glanced over her shoulder to see what had happened, and clicked his tongue in annoyance, knowing perfectly well that it was only a matter of time before something like this would occur. It took all of his energy for him to keep his mouth shut, not making any snide remarks or side comments as he helped Serena roll off her foot and observed her damaged ankle.

"It looks to be fine. You've just rolled it. It'll probably bruise and you'll have trouble walking around for a few days, but it's nothing too serious." Darien finished his diagnosis and with one smooth movement, he lifted Serena up in his arms and proceeded to carry her back to the apartment.

"You're a real pain in the butt, you know." He rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the strange looks that they were receiving from passersby on the street. "Whose attention were you trying to get, anyway?"

"None of your business, Darien-idiot." Serena pouted, pulling the green jacket closer around her body.

"You know, you really didn't have to go through all the trouble of getting dressed up, Dumpling. Just hang around at the arcade for more than half an hour and you're bound to have at least two klutz attacks." He smirked as Serena seethed. "True story."

"I hope the elevator's broken so you have to carry me up eight flights of stairs." Serena pouted, slowly leaning her head against Darien's shoulder, relishing the rumbling feeling of his chest as he laughed.

"Not a chance. I'll just leave you in the lobby for you to hop up the stairs like the lame, one legged bunny that you are."

"Darieeeeen! That's so cruel!"

* * *

. . .

Hope you guys liked that. Personally, I loved the laundry babies idea. I always like to think that my socks duke it out in the wash and one gets thrown out, which is why I always have odd socks. Anyway, the next chapter should be out a little earlier next week, and hopefully, if I get writing soon, it should be about Serena's birthday. So please read and review!

_**Crystal Saturn.**_


	9. Waking the Dead

Heeey everybody! Here's another update. Not the birthday one, but that should be coming up next. Anyway, in celebration of my 10th anniversary on fanfic(dot)net, here's a cute little chapter. If we're lucky, there will be another update in a couple days. Yaaayy!

_**Thanks to: **_stephumz, Usako, inufan155687, Goddess of the Moonlit Sky, Leslie, ScarletL, SerentiyMoonGodness, devilsangels11287, life705, Miss Katrina Malfoy, AnnyP, TaliMoonAngel668, CharmedSerenity3, sailormoon489, Valencia petals, moon86 _**and**_ Jessica _**for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 9: Waking the Dead

. . .

"The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't."  
_[-Henry Ward Beecher]_

. . .

It had been almost two weeks now since Serena had started high school and since Andrew either had to work breakfast shifts at the Crown arcade or attend morning university classes during the week, the task of raising the dead was appointed to poor, poor Darien. It had sounded like an easy enough task to undertake when Andrew asked him to do it. Sure, waking up a teenage girl and making sure she made it to school on time didn't sound so hard. Had he have been informed as to what it was like to actually wake a teen up, any teen, maybe he would have reconsidered Andrew's bribe to wash his car and bike every week for the next year. Poor, naive Darien.

"DUMPLING HEAD!" Darien called from Serena's doorway for the third time that morning. "Get up! You'll be late for school!"

"Five more minutes." Serena grumbled as she turned over in bed before lifting the covers up over her head.

"You said that half an hour ago!" Darien approached Serena's bed and ripped the bunny print covers away from over her head, dispersing the warm cloud of air from around her body and stealing the last remnants of slumber from the sleepy teen.

"Darieeeen!" She protested loudly as she watched him throw her blanket into his room and shut the door behind him.

"It's eight thirty." Darien watched as Serena's face deadpanned. "Get dressed and I'll drive you to school."

"I can't believe you didn't wake me up earlier!" Serena shot up out of bed and jumped to shut her bedroom door for some privacy. Instead, her foot twisted on her sheets and she tripped, falling face forward onto the floor.

"Unbelievable." Darien sighed to himself, leaving the teary sobbing screech-ball in a tangled mess on her bedroom floor.

* * *

It was the same deal the next morning. In fact, it was the same sort of scenario every morning. By the third day, Darien had regretted accepting Andrew's favour. Forget the morning jog, it took all of Darien's energy just to get the dozy teen up and off to school.

"DUMPLING HEAD!" Darien called from Serena's doorway for the second time that morning. "You're going to be late again!"

"Five more minutes." Serena murmured, turning over in bed as she lifted the covers up over her head.

"I'm not going through this with you again." Darien approached Serena's bed and ripped the bunny print covers away from over her head, onto to find that the teen was wearing nothing but her bra, boy-leg shorts and a pair of socks.

"What are you doing, pervert!" Serena screeched as she ripped her blanket away from the stunned, somewhat embarrassed man.

"I... I didn't know!" Darien turned a bright shade of red as he watched Serena cover herself up again in her blanket. "Sorry." He turned and walked out of her room swiftly, which brought a smile to Serena's lips as she snuggled back under her cosy blanket and resumed her morning snooze.

After a few minutes out on the balcony in order to try to compose himself once again, Darien strolled into Serena's room to ask her if she needed a lift to school today, only to find her sound asleep snuggling peacefully under her pink blanket. Needless to say, this annoyed Darien to no end. Strutting towards the kitchen, Darien opened the fridge door and pulled out a jug of water. As he walked back to her room, he wondered if this was the best way to handle the situation and as he stood over her sleeping form, he could hear the deep, gentle sounds of her breathing in her sleep. She sounded as though she was happily purring away. Yep, it was the best way he could think of at the moment.

Lifting the jug high up over Serena, he peeled the covers away from her body slowly and starting from the top of her head, he poured the jug of ice cold water over her snoozing form. Serena jolted straight up in bed. She was absolutely mortified. So much so that as she opened her mouth to scream, she found that she was so outraged that she couldn't.

"Next time, when I tell you to wake up, you should do it." Darien warned monotonously. "Hurry up and get dressed, I'll take you to school in ten minutes." To make matters worse, Darien decided to use his motorbike that morning. Serena arrived at school with her long, golden locks matted across her face in a dango-less mess of tangles, leaf matter and motorcycle blow dried chaos.

She was given detention for missing out on an hour of class, which she had spent, locked in the girl's toilets, trying to brush the twigs out of her hair.

* * *

"DUMPLING HEAD!" Darien called from Serena's doorway for the third time that morning. As he peered in, he noticed that Serena had fallen asleep wearing a waterproof plastic poncho around her.

"Five more minutes." Serena mumbled, but before she could resume snoozing, she was startled awake by a loud, persistent metallic clanging sound above her head. She sat up in bed and looked about her room, still bleary eyed and dozy. There beside her, Darien stood, wearing ear muffs and bashing two saucepans together.

"WAKE UP DUMPLING HEAD!" He attempted to yell out over the sound of the pots. Serena winced at every strike and reached her hand out to stop the insensitive man. He took a step back and in sheer desperation, Serena launched herself at him. Her plan worked, for as she tumbled out of bed, Darien instinctively dropped the pots to catch her in his arms. The force projected by human missile Serena was enough to send both parties stumbling towards the ground.

Darien blinked. There was not much more he could think to do as he stared up at the ceiling. Serena lay groggily sprawled on top of him and although he did his best to avert his gaze, he knew that she was clad only in her undergarments and that damn transparent plastic poncho. So he lay there on her bedroom floor and stared up at the ceiling, counting backwards from a hundred in roman numerals.

"Darien? Hello? Darien?" Serena's face suddenly appeared before him. It looked safe. She seemed to be burrito-ed up in her blanket. "What are you doing?" She stared at him curiously. He looked as though he didn't even hear her. Instead, he continued to look up at the ceiling for a few more moments before eventually rising to his feet and storming out of her room. Seconds passed before Serena could hear Darien's loud, agitated stomping returning down the hallway.

"And put some goddamn clothes on!" He yelled from the doorway before proceeding back towards his meditation spot on the balcony.

"It's not my fault you're a pervert!" Serena hollered, hastily throwing her uniform on before joining Darien on the apartment balcony.

"I'm not a pervert, you threw yourself at me." Darien had made a completely valid point as he stepped towards Serena in order to take their verbal argument indoors and out of earshot of their neighbours. Stubbornly, she stood her ground.

"Only to stop you from bursting my ear drums!" Serena continued to argue as she stood firmly, her nose was practically pressed up against Darien's chest. Blue flames of fury leapt within Serena's eyes. Darien held her threatening stare and lowered his face closer towards the petite blonde's in order to show that he too, wasn't intimidated.

"Well maybe you should just wake up the first time I tell you, then." He growled, his voice dangerously low. As they continued their usual stare off, it took Darien a few moments to realise just how close Serena was. He could feel the warmth of her body, ever so gently pressed up against his. At that moment, an unconscious force within Serena compelled her to lick her lips, and from then on, all was lost. Darien's physiological drives kicked in and he let out a stifled groan, jerking his body away as he suddenly turned his attention to the view of the city below.

"You're going to be late." He reprimanded through clenched teeth as he tried to think of something, anything, that would take his mind off of the memory of Serena's almost naked body lying on top of him.

"Ugh!" Serena realised the truth in Darien's words and rushed back inside to finish getting ready for school. "This is all your fault, idiot!"

* * *

_Tap tap tap. Buzz Buzz. Tap tap tap._

"Ughh," Serena eventually awoke to the sound of a construction site within her room. "What are you doing, Darien-idiot?" There he was, lying on the floor with his head beneath her bed. A series of hammers, jacks and drills lay around him. Had she known any better, Serena would have spotted the welder perched in the corner of her room.

"Nothing, just setting up some hydraulics and compressed air cylinders, that's all." Darien continued tapping away at the frame of Serena's bed.

"Ugh, is that meant to make my bed softer or something?" Serena groaned at the annoying tinkering sounds. To her sleepy ears, it might as well have been a jack hammer or a chain saw right by her ears. It was almost as annoying as nails on a chalk board.

"Um... sure." Darien smirked to himself. "Like sleeping on a cloud... or water."

"Well could you do that a little quieter then? It's a school night and I'm trying to sleep." Serena wrapped her pillow around her head.

"It's afternoon." Darien's muffled voice came from under Serena's bed.

"What?" She screeched loudly, sitting up in bed and throwing her covers half way across her room. Turning to grab hold of her alarm clock, she held it up to her face and gasped. "Darien! It's one-thirty in the afternoon!"

"I know." He grabbed hold of his hand drill and a set of screws.

"Why didn't you wake me up for school?"

"I did." Darien mumbled flatly. "Four times" He shuffled out from under Serena's bed and strolled down the hallway. As casually as ever, he soon returned, wheeling in some sort of mutant digital alarm, gramophone, speaker system and proceeded to connect it up to cables that ran underneath her bed.

"What... what's that?" Serena looked anxiously at the flashing red digits of the alarm connected between the gramophone and the four foot speaker. "Is that a bomb?"

"No. It's just my old alarm clock." Darien winced as he plugged the alarm into the wall power socket, expecting his home made devices to overload the power board and surge, blacking out half of Tokyo. Thankfully, he still remembered some things from his engineering diploma. "Hopefully it'll get you up tomorrow morning so you won't have to miss another day of school." He smiled as he noticed that Serena was still eyeing down his alarm clock contraption suspiciously. "Hey, Dumpling, let's go get some lunch." Darien thought it would be best not to let her in on his little secret. Why spoil the fun? He decided that a meal would be the best way to distract the ever insatiable blonde. He was right.

* * *

Andrew arrived at the Crown Arcade at 7:30am and unlocked the doors. Turning on the fluorescent lights, he strolled into the back room and began to prepare for his early morning breakfast shift. Collecting the rubbish and old newspapers from the day before, Andrew made his usual early morning trip to the dumpster, out the back of the arcade. Just as he tossed the old papers into the recycling bin, he heard a loud thunderous boom, followed by a repetitive monotonous tone, off in the distance. The ground trembled at his feet, and Andrew couldn't help but look around, wondering if there had been some sort of explosion or an earthquake nearby.

"Strange." He thought, listening carefully at the tone blaring in the distance. "That almost sounds like Darien's annoying alarm."

* * *

. . .

There's another chappy guys. ^_^ I've had a wonderful ten years on ff(dot)net, and it's all thanks to readers like you. So here's to you guys and being wonderful readers. But please don't stop now... don't forget to review and I'll post up another chapter super soon.

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	10. A Little Less Sixteen Candles

Heeeey guys, miss me? I know, I'm late with this chapter... but I've been cooking up a storm whilst on holidays and sleeping like there's no tomorrow. You can never force yourself to write a chapter, unless you're inspired… so it's taken a little while ^_^ But this one is possibly one of the longest chapters that I've written. So it's kinda worth the wait, yea?

_**Thanks to:**_ Usako, Leslie, ScarletL, Maetel, amethysth, BlueMoon3, Jenbunny, Miss Katrina Malfoy, Francis, catchastar101, rubydiamond, devilsangels11287, Goddess of the Moonlit Sky, deedee, boston, stephumz, Moon Princess Selene, Jessica, inufan155687, life705, TaliMoonAngel668, CharmedSerenity3 _**and**_ xx _**for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 10: A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More...

. . .

"You are only young once, but you can be immature for a lifetime."  
_[- John P. Grier]_

_. . ._

"Andrew, you agreed to what?" Darien slammed his fist against the dining table, rattling his bowl of cereal and cup of coffee.

"I said _'Okay'_ to letting Serena host a pool party using the apartment pool this weekend. She said it would only really be just her and a handful of her girl friends." Andrew casually sipped his tea, wondering what the big fuss was all about.

"Are you kidding me? You seriously don't see the inherent problem with allowing a handful of underage, scantily clad, bikini sporting teenage girls in our apartment?

"If it makes you feel a little better about losing our bachelor pad to a bunch of girls for an afternoon, then you're more than welcome to bust out your light saber and have it up on display in your room." Andrew mocked playfully.

"But my room has a view of the pool area. Do you know what that means?" Darien asked in a rhetorical manner.

"That you'll be perving on my kid cousin the whole time?" Andrew added in innocently, earning a glare for his troubles.

"It means that half the apartment building has a view of the pool area. Anyone could be watching them. Anyone could just go down there and-"

"Oh look," Andrew interrupted dazedly. "It looks like you've just volunteered to watch over the girls for the day."

"What? No! That's out of the question." Darien stuttered nervously at the thought of being that close to that many semi-nude teenage girls.

"And I'm sure they'll be fine, Dad." Andrew reassured his friend. "I'm pretty certain Serena can look after herself."

* * *

She loved the way her hair drifted about her, suspended in the water. It was always so much more carefree and lively whenever she went for a swim. She didn't have to worry about it becoming tangled or snagged on anything, it just seemed to flow about around her. _Cloud… cloud… oh, that one looks like a bunny!_

"That's such a cute bikini, 'Rena. Is it new?" Mina playfully flicked water at her relaxed friend in order to bring her back down to Earth.

"It is." Serena waved her arms around her, splashing about, pulling herself up to stand up waist deep in the shallow end of the pool.

"It's really cute. A little revealing though, isn't it? Trying to get Darien's attention again?" Mina grinned from ear to ear as she watched Serena's cheeks flush red with embarrassment.

"It… it was the only one that I could find in my size. The others at the store didn't seem to fit properly." Serena lowered her gaze sheepishly.

"Oh, I know exactly what you mean." Lita rolled her eyes, glancing down at her chest. "It's so hard to shop for these girls. I just stick to one piece swim suits now, that way, I don't have to worry about them popping out so often."

"Lita!" Ami protested, sinking lower into the water and feeling like such a modest prude.

"What? It's true!"

"Serena, have you ever thought a about buying a push up bra?" Rei waded over to the other girls, completing the semi-circle formation with her presence.

"A push up bra?" Serena looked over at her raven haired friend curiously.

"Sure. Here...cup your hands around the underside of your boobs like this." Rei demonstrated on herself. "And then push together and lift. It's basically what a push up bra does. It gives you extra padding and boosts you up, making you look… fuller." Serena gingerly mimicked her friend and glanced down at her now ample, mature looking cleavage. "Wear it under a round neck shirt and you're bound to turn some heads."

"Yes, Serena, a round neck t-shirt." Mina added. "Don't be like Rei and slut it up with a low v-neck. You want to save _something_ for the wedding night." The airy blonde shrieked loudly, giggling as the temperamental priestess lunged at her, threatening to drown her in the pool.

. . .

"Are you seeing this?.!" Darien waved his hand eagerly at Andrew and pointed down at the group of frolicking girls. "What does she think she's doing?"

"It looks like…" Andrew frowned as he watched Serena, standing waist deep in the pool, oblivious to her friends splashing about around her, with her hands cupped over her breasts.

"Andrew!" Mina hollered as she spotted the familiar blond man, peering down at them from Darien's balcony. She waved up at the two university students, distracting Rei, who also glanced up at the balcony area. Serena's hands almost immediately dropped back into the water. "Come for a swim! The water's so nice!" Mina yelled.

"We'll be down in a second!" Andrew hollered back before turning to his best friend, who stared at him with a flat out frown of frustration smattered across his face. "Well you heard her. The water's nice. Let's go for a swim."

"I'm not getting in there." Darien protested, tearing his eyes away from the group of playful teens, splashing water at each other. "Oh no, this has 'lawsuit' and 'underage molestation charges' all over it. There's no way that I'm going to hop into that water and get branded as a pedophile for the rest of my life. Do you know what they do to guys like me in prison?"

"Alright, fine. Don't go. No one's forcing you. There's certainly no call for you to molest any teens in the pool, by the way. It's not like a 'must do' thing, you know? I just thought that we'd be social hosts. But anyway, you don't have to hop in, but at least help me bring down some sandwiches and drinks, yeah?"

"I guess." Darien mumbled under his breath, knowing that all his plans of staying completely away from the practically nude, dripping wet, breast grabbing, dumpling headed blonde, had now flown out the window. "Lord, give me strength."

* * *

"Hungry girls? We brought some snacks." Andrew lifted the latch of the pool gate to let himself in.

"Are we ever!" Rei lifted herself up and out of the pool, reaching for her towel.

"This is wrong, this is wrong." Darien chanted softly under his breath. "wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong…"

"Thanks so much, Andy." Mina smiled warmly as she reached for a sandwich quarter. "That's so kind of you."

"Are you not coming into the pool with us, Darien?" Ami quietly enquired, wrapping her baby blue towel around her body securely. He was wearing a black button up shirt and dark denim jeans, and showed no signs of changing into anything more pool-worthy any time soon.

"No, no. Just dropping off some snacks and making sure you girls aren't… drowning… or anything." Darien placed a platter of sandwiches and a pitcher of juice down on a nearby table before running his hands through his hair, trying to look casual.

"Hey, Dar, can you go stick your hand in the pool for me and let me know how it feels?" Andrew continued to lay out some snacks and treats.

"Why can't you do it?" Darien crossed his arms defiantly, much like a moody teen.

"Because I currently have my hands in a chip packet. Come on, be a sport." Andrew sighed out loud uncharacteristically. It usually took Andrew a lot more to become frustrated, but Darien's unreasonable and inhospitable attitude was starting to grate on his nerves. Darien picked up on his best friends tone and rolled his eyes, turning to walk towards the edge of the pool. Squatting down, he plunged his hand wrist deep into the water.

"It's a little on the cool side, but it's good." Darien yelled back, turning to face his Hawaiian print board short clad friend.

"Watcha doin?" Serena popped up abruptly behind Darien, leaning over to closely observe the man seemingly in a foul mood. As Darien turned around, he found himself face-to-chest with Serena's ample… bikini top. Startled, Darien instinctively attempted to swiftly stand. Unfortunately, he took a step backwards and lost his footing, falling backwards, into the pool with a mighty splash. As Darien slowly surfaced, his expression said it all. He was almost certain she had done it on purpose. _That minx._ Displaying her breasts all up in his face. It _had _to be on purpose. All parties present by the poolside stopped and braced themselves for the fall out. Darien was _fuming_.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry Darien! I really didn't mean to scare you! I just… I just…" Tears began to well up within her light cerulean eyes. Immediately, his glare softened. She looked so sincere. Whether she was innocent or not, he couldn't tell for sure. But the one thing that he was all too painfully aware of, was just how insanely crazy she was making him, simply by being so close to him and wearing that little bikini.

"It's fine." He shook his head in order to shake the excess water away, before running his fingers through his now dripping, tousled hair. Roaming his fingers swiftly over his chest, he nimbly unbuttoned the shirt that was now plastered across his body, peeling it away slowly and wringing the excess pool water out from it before tossing it over into the ledge of the pool. Smiling inwardly, he knew exactly how to play his cards. Serena's jaw had all but hit the ground as she and the other girls continued to stare. Slowly wading over to the edge of the pool, Darien was fully aware that Serena was watching him in complete and utter captivation. Lucky drops of water cascaded across his bare, chiseled chest, clutching desperately to his toned abdomen, before falling away and back into the pool. His hair dripped, hanging in a disheveled state, almost over his eyes. "Just help me up." Darien almost whispered in a dangerously low tone. His silken words seemed to roll of the tip of his tongue as he held his hand up, waiting for the mesmerized blonde to assist him.

"I… uh… Sure…" It took Serena a few moments to tear her eyes away from Darien's wet, perfectly formed upper body. Taking Darien's hand within hers, she began to pull, but found that her damp damsel refused to budge. Instead, a small smirk spread across Darien's lips and he tugged on her arm, pulling her into the pool along with him before swiftly hauling himself up and out of the water.

"I can't believe you fell for that one, Dumpling Head." Darien turned to face the saturated teen. "I thought that age was supposed to make people wiser."

"Evidently, it didn't with you either, Darien-idiot" Serena pouted and splashed her arms about her in protest as Darien strolled over towards her bunny print towel and began to dry himself off with it. "Hey! That's…" The petite blonde pulled herself up and out of the pool only to hesitate as she watched Darien dapple her towel all across his chest in an agonizingly slow manner. "Mine…" her voice faltered.

"I know." Darien glanced upwards through his dripping bangs and smiled slowly as he watched Serena's eyes glaze over as she openly gawked at his chest. "Here." He sauntered over slowly. His jeans which were now heavy from saturation, barely clung to his hips as they dripped onto the warm bricks of the pool area. A faint hue kissed Serena's cheeks as realized that it would only take a slight downward tug at one of his belt hoops and his jeans would fall to the ground. "It's still dry in this little corner here." Raising the little pink towel up, Darien proceeded to sponge away the small droplets of water from Serena's face.

"Well aren't you two just the cutest couple?" Mina clasped her hands together joyfully.

"What?" Darien's head snapped over towards the other blonde teen.

"C-c-couple?" Serena turned to her friends, wide eyed and innocent. "Him?"

"Me?" The dark haired man lowered his toweling hand slowly.

"I-I don't think so." Serena pouted in an attempt to veil her embarrassment with anger.

"No way. She's sixteen!"

"He's an old man!"

"If that doesn't scream jailbait then I don't know what does." Darien rolled his eyes, handing Serena her towel.

"Hey, Sere…" Andrew interrupted, loving the fact that Serena's friends had also seemingly picked up on the chemistry that the couple shared. "Is that a new bikini?"

"Uh…" Serena glanced down, beginning to feel a little self conscious, especially as she noticed Darien turn to check out her hot pink and white polka dotted bikini, out of the corner of her eye.

"Yeah, we were just talking about how cute it was." Mina added, playfully winking towards Andrew. "It really accentuates Serena's maturing figure, don't you think, Darien?"

"You know what? On second thoughts, I think I still need that." Darien snatched the towel away from Serena and proceeded to pretend to dry off his lower abdomen region, much to the amusement of Andrew, Mina, Rei and Lita, and vague confusion of Serena and Ami.

"No, I think you just need a cold shower, or maybe another dip in the pool." Lita subtly strolled over to where the couple stood and gave Darien a quick shove. He stumbled sideways into Serena, who instinctively reached her arms out to grab hold of him. Within the half second that it took Darien to realize that he was falling into the pool again for the second time that day, his body took control and reacted purely on its own accord. His instinct to protect Serena kicked in and as she latched onto him to try to steady herself, he wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her closer to him to shield her from the impact of the pool.

"Lita!" Serena shrieked loudly as soon as she resurfaced. "I can't believe you did that! Darien had his phone in his pocket-"

"No… I don't." Darien interrupted, feeling as though he should probably dunk his head back under the water.

"It's probably broken now. You'll have to buy him a new… wait, what?" Serena turned her head back over towards the resaturated and somewhat flustered looking man in the pool. Andrew smirked evilly as he reached over for the pink flip phone sitting idly on one of the deck chairs. Quickly punching in a set of numbers, he hit the dial number and grinned as he simply waited.

_My loneliness is killing me and I… _

"Hey, Dar. That's your phone ringing now, right?" Andrew struggled to keep himself from bursting into hysterical laughter. "You should probably hop out of the pool and answer that."

"I don't... That's not… I mean… I don't recognize that ring tone." Darien cringed, knowing all too well that Andrew had been assigning ring tones to his phone all of the night before.

"But if that's your phone there, then what's in your pocket?" Serena looked Darien straight in the eye as she asked her naïve question.

_I must confess, I still believe…_

"It's nothing." Darien looked away as he gave his abrupt answer. By this time his whole face had flushed a deep crimson and he sat down on a shallow step in the pool.

"It definitely wasn't nothing. Come on, why won't you tell me?" Serena pouted and frowned, wondering what the big deal was. The rest of the girls watched in awe and amusement as the three-way spectacle unfolded before them.

"Dar, your phone's ringing!" Andrew persisted.

_When I'm not with you I lose my mind…_

"Shut up, Drew!" Darien growled as he folded his arms across his waist and awkwardly crossed his legs. "It's really nothing, Dumpling."

"Why won't you show me then?" Serena lunged towards the grumpy man's pockets, desperately curious and wanting to know what Darien's big secret was. "Shouldn't you answer that?" She asked, trying to distract the secretive man as her hands flew about, trying to find a way to reach down and explore the mysterious item tucked away deep in Darien's pocket.

"I… I can't right now." He let out a quiet groan and sighed in frustration, catching Serena's hand every time she launched it towards him.

_Give me a sign…_

"Stop that, Dumpling Head!"

"Are you trying to hide a birthday present for me in your jeans?"

_Hit me baby one more time._

Andrew clutched his sides as he doubled over in laughter. It was wrong. It was so very wrong. But he had planned it all out oh so well.

* * *

"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Sereeeena-(mpling Heaaad), Happy birthday to you."

"Make a wish, 'Rena!" Mina reminded and watched as her fellow blonde took a moment and closed her eyes before blowing all sixteen candles out in a huge huff.

"What did you wish for?" Ami leant forward as Serena began to cut the grassy base of her gorgeous pink bunny fondant cake.

"I-I can't tell you that, Ami!" A light rosy tinge graced Serena's cheeks. "Or it won't come true."

"Yeah, and besides. I don't think what Serena really wants is in any of those presents over there, isn't that right, Darien?" Lita popped up beside the tall dark haired man and smacked him roughly on the shoulder. After the pool incident earlier that afternoon, Darien couldn't help but flinch every time Lita happened to 'pop up' beside him.

"Look, all you have to do is cut the cake right down to the bottom, and tradition states that you have to kiss the nearest guy, right? So here…" Rei reached over and 'assisted' Serena in cutting her cake, pushing her hand all the way down to the silver cake lining. "There you go. Now go kiss Darien."

"REI!" Serena protested loudly, swatting her friend's arm as she attempted to shield her embarrassment.

"It's what you wished for, right?" Rei shrugged as she abruptly pushed Serena into the nearby man.

"No it's not!" Serena shook her head vigorously. "And besides, Andy was closer!"

"Sorry, Sere… but I think Darien won out on that one. I was right beside you when you blew out your candles, but when you cut that cake, I was in the kitchen."

"But…"

_Smooch_

The room fell absolutely silent.

"Okay, so are we ready to open up the presents yet?" Darien looked around the room. All eyes were securely fixed on him.

"You… you just kissed my cheek." Serena's voice died away as she looked up at the slightly bashful man next to her.

"Yeah… that's how it goes, right?"

"Not really. But it's close enough, social retard." Andrew chuckled as the small group of friends slowly migrated away from the dinner table and the birthday cake, towards the living room and the small pile of presents.

One by one the colourful parcels were handed to the gleefully bubbly teen, and one by one she unwrapped them. A make up set from Rei. The new CD by one of Serena's favourite bands from Mina. A Guide to University exams and entrance exam study manual from Ami (to which Serena groaned loudly about but accepted appreciatively nonetheless). A gyoza maker from Lita, and a cute jacket with Rabbit ears stitched onto the hood, from Andrew. Mina quickly snuck a small pink packet to Serena while the others were distracted and talking about University life.

"This one's from Luna and Artemis." She whispered. "You should probably open it later, when you're alone." Serena glanced down at the package curiously before smuggling the moon print present under her new jacket.

"So…" Serena interrupted, looking over at Darien expectantly.

"What?" Darien slumped casually in his recliner.

"Where's my present?"

"What, the kiss wasn't enough? Now I have to give you a present too? Geez, you really are greedy, aren't you, Dumpling?"

"It's _my_ day today." Serena's small pout gave way to an enthusiastic grin as Darien dragged a large box from behind the recliner and plonked it in front of her.

"My goodness, it's huge! What is it?" Serena pulled the ribbon off of the box that was almost as big as she was. Darien's eyes twinkled with mischief as he shrugged his shoulders in response to her soon-to-be redundant question. As she unwrapped the gift, a frown graced Serena's features. She was faced with another box. After unwrapping and discarding the next box, another plain, smaller box appeared. After frustratingly tearing through fifteen boxes and fifteen layers of wrapping, Serena was left with a small, plain, palm sized box. Serena gingerly lift the lid, revealing a sparkling necklace in the shape of a key. After a moment of gawking, Serena handed the necklace box around for everybody to see. Jumping to her feet, she leapt towards the casually nonchalant looking Darien, with her arms outstretched. As she wrapped her arms around him, he sat awkwardly still.

"Are those real diamonds?" Ami peered over as Rei held the box.

"They couldn't possibly be. There are so many of them. That would cost so much!" Lita also leant in from the other side.

"I think they're real. No one would buy diamonds that small if they were fake." Rei added, passing on the necklace to Mina, who immediately turned the pendant over for some serious scrutinizing.

"That's a very nice necklace." She smiled simply, handing the box back over to Serena, who rejoined the girls and sat back down on her spot across the living room floor. Waiting for the general chatter of the room to resume once more, Mina sat down on the couch beside Darien and leant in slowly. "So, just how rich are you, Darien?" She whispered casually.

"What? I don't know what you're talking about, Mina." Darien cleared his throat quietly.

"I know that hallmark. I know that style. That's a genuine _Tiffany & Co._ key pendant." Mina explained. "Not only are those real diamonds, those diamonds are set in platinum. So how much did you fork out for Serena's heart key charm, hmm?" She interrogated slyly.

"It could be a fake, you know." Darien shifted in his chair uncomfortably.

"It could very well be. But it's not. So what was it? $200?" Mina leant in closer just as Andrew sat down on the couch beside her. It intrigued him to watch his best friend look so anxious under the watchful gaze of someone other than Serena. The other girls were still busy admiring the itty bitty bit of shiny, now around Serena's neck. "No? Higher?" Mina smiled as Darien shifted in his seat again. "$500?" Mina inquired, but nothing. Not a sound came from Darien. "I see, so more huh? $1000?" Nothing. "$1200?" Nada. "$1500?" Zilch. "Surely not $2000?" _Blink blink._ "$2150, with the chain, right?" _Flinch._

"No wonder you took up that second job at the University!" Andrew joined in.

"You sly dog, you!" Mina laughed out loud, suddenly gaining the attention of the other girls. "You're now one of my favourite guys." She almost tackled Darien in a bone crushing hug. "Go get her, tiger!"

"Don't… touch…" Darien managed to gasp before the chipper teen released hold of him.

"You know," Andrew began. "Psycho-anthropologically speaking, giving someone a necklace, particularly a woman-"

"Not again, Drew." Darien warned.

"But the symbolism of the key-"

"Not now, Drew!" Darien forced through clenched teeth.

"Can I at least cross off number 5 from your New Years List yet?"

"No!" Darien smacked his palm across his forehead with frustration. "It's just a necklace! I don't celebrate many birthdays and I wasn't sure what to give for a sixteenth birthday gift for a girl, so I _Googled_ it, that's all. There's no hidden symbolism or meaning behind it. It's just a gift."

"That you took the time to pick out by hand." Rei added.

"Yes, that I picked out!" Darien confirmed.

"And it cost a small fortune." Mina continued.

"It wasn't anything that I couldn't afford." Darien nodded along.

"It looks good, doesn't it?" Andrew added, barely able to contain his sneaky smile.

"It looks damn good on Dumpling Head!"

"I love it, Darien." Serena's fingers played with the glimmering pendant around her neck.

"And I love y- IT too… _It_!" Darien repeated, catching himself out, but not before his face flushed a deep crimson from his textbook-case-Freudian-slip-up. "I… It-It looks good. I'm going for a walk." The dark haired man practically leapt to his feet and stormed out of the apartment before anyone else could get a word in.

"Well, I think that went well." Lita casually stretched her long legs out in front of her.

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_This was the best birthday ever. Making a wish before blowing out birthday candles is so worth it… My wish came true…_

_-Sere_

As Serena closed her diary and tucked it securely under her pillow, she reached over and picked up the last unopened present, sitting on her bedside table. Shaking it gently, she decided that it would probably be easier to simply open the gift from Luna and Artemis in order to find out what it contained. Sliding her finger under one of the folds, Serena slowly unwrapped the gift and let its contents fall onto her lap. She looked at the object curiously for a moment before reading the little card stuck to the crescent shaped trinket.

_The Crescent Moon Wand._

_Keep it with you at all times. An inbuilt alarm system gives an indication that a Rainbow Crystal is nearby. Keep it secret, keep it safe._

_Luna & Artemis_

Serena sighed realizing that her last gift wasn't a gift for her at all. It was a gift for Sailor Moon, who coincidentally, also turned sixteen that day. With a groan of annoyance, Serena soon came to realize that it was probably about time for Sailor Moon to up her ante and take more responsibility. It was time for her to step up to the plate and become the leader of the Sailor Soldiers.

* * *

Darien's late night munchies often got the better of him, especially on those nights where he stayed up late to get in some extra study. Tonight was one of those nights. Remembering that there was still some left over birthday cake and some red bean buns in the fridge, he decided to give in to his pitifully grumbling stomach and pause for a little break before proceeding to the next chapter in his textbook. As Darien tiptoed down the hallway as quietly as he could, he was startled almost out of his own skin as he flicked on the living room area light to see Serena, sitting at the kitchen counter with a knife in one hand, staring down at a somewhat lame looking, lopsided birthday cake.

"What are you doing? It's one in the morning!" Darien whispered harshly.

"I wanted some cake, but all that's left is the bunny part, and I don't have the heart to cut it. It's just too cute." Serena frowned deeply, her dilemma clearly weighed quite heavily in her heart.

"You're being silly. It's just a cake, Dumpling Head. It's _meant_ to be eaten. Cut me a slice too." Darien shuffled over to the fridge for a glass of water and some snacks. When he turned back, he noticed that Serena had lifted the knife up to the pink rabbit's foot, but wasn't making any further movements. "Dumpling? What are you doing?"

"I… I can't do it…" Serena's voice cracked and on closer inspection, Darien could see the unshed tears shimmering within her eyes.

"Dumpling Head…" Darien smiled inwardly as he took the knife away from Serena and placed it in the sink. Walking over to her side of the counter, he rested a reassuring arm around the sullen girl and handed her a red bean bun, before he ushered her back down the hallway to her room. "You're ridiculous, you know that, right? Absolutely one of a kind."

"You're so mean, Darieeeeen." Serena pouted as Darien pushed her back into her bedroom. "You're not meant to be mean to the birthday girl."

"It's past midnight; it's not your birthday any more little girl." Darien patted Serena's head in a patronizing manner and just as the irate teen opened her mouth to retaliate, Darien stuffed another red bean bun into her mouth to silence her. "Shh, you'll wake Drew up. Now go to sleep." Darien backed out of Serena's room and shut the door quietly behind him, leaving the fuming girl to mumble nonsensical noises of annoyance as she chewed on her red bean bun slowly. As Darien crossed the hallway to his room, he could hear the gentle melody of the Star Locket tinkering its sweet song into the night. The haunting tune wafted through the air from Serena's room and Darien couldn't help but smile and feel strangely nostalgic. Closing his bedroom door, he sighed and leant his body against it, listening to the dying last notes of the slow song hang in the air. "You're one of a kind, Serena." Darien repeated his previous statement under his breath. "I hope you never change."

* * *

. . .

Aww, poor Darien and his raging man-hormones. His phone-in-pocket pool dilemma reminds me of some of my first dates with my current beau. How simple and innocent relationships were back then, haha! But anyway, it's four thirty in the morning and I should probably publish this chapter… every time I re-read it, I end up writing another paragraph! But I hope you're enjoying it. Let me know what you think. Please Review ^_^ Fingers crossed I can muster up another chapter soon!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	11. Murphy's Law: Incidence 2

Apologies for the delay. I've had a stressful semester so far, with 2 group assignments where my other group members have ditched me, leaving me to complete the assessment piece on my own. Arrrghh to unreliable people (and the irony of that last statement just bit me on the bum)

_**Thanks to:**_ Kelly, anonymous, Ceralyn, perfect beauty, inufan155687, claireylee824, rani, sailormoon0630, Francis, Leslie, moon86, Jenbunny, ScarletL, CharmedSerenity3, Goddess of the Moonlit Sky, Jessica, scooby-blues, TaliMoonAngel668, Usako, Vivian Savage, life705, Red-Elephant, stephumz, boston, Miss Katrina Malfoy, SerentiyMoonGodness, Paramecio, devilsangels11287 _**and**_ adrichan _**for reviewing the previous chapter  
**_

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 11- Murphy's Law: Instance #2

.

"Anything that _can _go wrong, _will _go wrong"

.

Who knew that eating a slab of leftover lasagna for breakfast would be so much trouble? Serena certainly didn't when she hastily chowed down on the salmonella infested layers of meat and pasta for breakfast as she ran to school. It was a relatively quick incubation. It started of innocently enough, sounding like hunger grumbles. By the end of lunch time, those tummy grumbles had increased in duration and intensity, and was now coupled with nausea and long spells of Serena's head being thrust into a bucket.

"Serena, I can't get in contact with your cousin. Why don't you just lie here in the infirmary until you start to feel better?" The school nurse urged Serena to lie back.

"I think I'd rather go home, before this gets any worse." Serena grumbled. "I think I'm still well enough to walk home. It's not too far from here."

"Only if you feel you're up for it, Serena. Here, take this bag with you just in case you feel sick on your way home." The nurse shook her head sympathetically at the young teen. "I'll call your cousin again and leave a message on his voicemail telling him we sent you home from school."

"Thank you Nelly." Serena groaned, clutching at her gut as she rose to her feet and slung her book bag around her shoulder.

* * *

As Serena stumbled into the quiet apartment, she sighed in relief, not needing to use the paper barf bag on her way home. Even still, she was pretty certain a fine mist of vomit vapor clouded around her.

_A shower?_ Serena thought to herself, shuffling down the hall with much effort. _A bath… I feel like a nice relaxing bath. Maybe it'll help settle my stomach. _

Her first port of call was the bathroom, where she placed the plug into the bottom of the tub. Changing the tap settings from 'Shower' to 'Bath', she reached for the hot and cold water taps, turning them on and letting them run on full blast to slowly fill the bath tub while she proceeded to her room.

As she burst through the door of her bedroom, she hurled her book bag half way across the room and hastily stripped out of her smelly spew-splattered school uniform, throwing it into her laundry hamper to be washed when she was feeling better. Finding her lavender scented bath salts and tugging on her towel, Serena ensured all blinds and curtains in the apartment were shut before she proceeded to walk about stark naked. She knew she had a full two hours on her own before anybody would come home. It was a typical Wednesday. Andrew had work after his morning class and Darien usually hit the gym after his morning of University lab classes. Or so she thought. Serena placed her headphones over her head and settled into her hot bath, closing the shower curtain to minimize the amount of sunlight beaming into her bath

* * *

Darien's morning had been turned on its head. Nothing was going to plan. His morning classes had been cancelled due to a power outage caused by a burst water main which flooded and short circuited half of the campus. To make the most of his time at the University, he decided to trek half way across the campus to his student lab hoping to perform some experiments for his research paper, due at the end of the term. But alas, he forgot his security swipe card which he needed to gain access into the laboratory area. Cursing under his breath, he decided that he was determined to do _something_ productive today. Hopping on his motorbike, Darien revved the engine to life and proceeded towards his gym.

After an hour session on the treadmill, a brief stint on the weights and a half hour Zumba class… alright, maybe not the Zumba… Darien decided to towel off and head home. Being a medical student with an avid interest in microbiology, he didn't trust public showers and made a habit of taking a thorough shower at home after his gym sessions. Besides, open showers never made him feel comfortable. They always consisted of overly hairy, over weight men comfortably strutting around with their junk swaying about. For a very personal, introverted Darien, it was a horrible experience.

Darien unlocked the front door of the apartment, leaving his set of keys in the key bowl before heading into his room. He stripped off his sweaty gym clothes and hurled them into his laundry hamper. Darien checked about to make sure his bedroom curtains were closed before he walked about his room stark naked. He knew he had just over a full hour on his own before anybody would come home. It was a typical Wednesday. Andrew had work after his morning class and Serena wouldn't get out of school until four in the afternoon. Or so he thought. He grabbed his towel and headed for the bathroom. Placing his towel hastily on the bathroom vanity, Darien reached for the shower curtain, thrusting it aside while he stepped his foot into the bathtub. Unbeknownst to him, it was already occupied.

Serena's eyes flew open as she realized she wasn't alone. The light that cascaded across her face indicated that the shower curtain had been yanked away violently by someone other than herself. She screamed loudly as she came face to face with Darien, standing in all his naked glory with a foot in her bath. Sitting up as a reflex, she reached for something, anything to cover herself up as Darien also jumped back in surprise. Ripping her earphones out from her ears, Serena could hear a loud thud as Darien slipped and fell backwards. Serena shot up in the bathtub and pulled on the curtain in an attempt to cover her naked body as she peered out from the other side.

"What the heck, Serena!.?" Darien desperately reached for the closest decent sized object to cover himself up with. His hand flew over to the sink and he grabbed hold of a face towel, hastily placing it over his crotch. "What are you doing here?" A mixture of confusion, anger and embarrassment spread across Darien's features as he struggled to rise to his feet and reached for his body towel.

"I could ask you the same thing!" Serena clutched at the somewhat sheer shower curtain.

"Why aren't you at school?" Darien securely wrapped the larger towel around his waist and stood, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I ate the rest of Andrew's lasagna this morning and got sick." Serena shivered as a cool draft wafted through the bathroom and breathed across her bare skin. Unfortunately for her though, she wasn't quite aware of just how sheer the shower curtain really was, especially when the sunlight beamed through it. Darien on the other hand, was fully aware from his angle, but dared not to mention it. "Why are you home so early?" Her cheeks were flushed pink, partially by the heat and steam from her bath, but mostly from her embarrassment at being caught naked, and by Darien of all people.

"The power went out at Uni. Classes were cancelled so I went to the gym early." Darien chewed on his bottom lip nervously as he desperately tried to stop his eyes from roaming over her nude silhouetted body. His heart thumped heavily in his chest, pushing blood through his body as an awkward silence befell the two. His wandering eyes lingered long enough to trigger the primal survival instincts within Darien's brain sending the message buzzing around the rest of his body. As Serena looked down at the tub nervously, Darien groaned in disbelief, knowing exactly what that preemptive tingle across his hips meant. He swiftly clutched at his towel and made for the door.

"Right, bathroom's all yours." Darien called out before bolting towards his bedroom, locking the door behind him.

Serena slowly released her held breath as she cautiously tip-toed across the tiled floor and closed the bathroom door, locking it behind her. Sighing in relief, she slipped back into the bathtub, letting the now lukewarm water move to accommodate her once again. Closing her eyes, she felt her gut squelch within her uncomfortably. She wondered just how much of her naked body Darien had seen. In the brief half second that she had caught him with his foot in the tub, Serena had managed to burn the image of Darien's naked form into her mind's eye. She didn't mean to. It was probably caused by the trauma and fright of the moment. Sure… yeah… right….

He seemed to be a little more muscular than what she remembered him last being. She mentally reprimanded herself for letting her mind drift as far as to wonder which side of Darien looked better. Front of behind? Her cheeks burned a fiery crimson as she remembered the rest of his body. She had never, ever seen anybody that naked before. It was wrong. She shook her head to try to clear her thoughts. _So_ wrong.

The longer she sat in the tub, the longer she thought about the whole situation, and how Darien looked so good naked. She needed to get out of there. She needed to get away from the scene of the crime. The mental image of having Darien naked in the tub with her invaded her mind and she shook her head even harder. Having these thoughts about Darien-idiot was insane. She was being ridiculous, right? He was an idiot! He should have known that she was in there, her towel was on the towel rack and the shower curtain was shut. The pervert had done it on purpose, hadn't he? No, surely not. Not even Darien couldn't be that much of a creep, could he? Rinsing off, Serena wondered why he had run off so quickly. The spaz didn't even apologize for his intrusion.

As she walked down the hallway with her towel wrapped about her body she stopped at Darien's door and hesitated slightly before knocking ever so gently. Was it too soon to be talking to him? Should she even bother telling him that the bathroom was free now? How should she sound? Should she be angry? Embarrassed? Should she just pretend it didn't happen?

"Dar, you can take your shower now." Serena called out quickly though his bedroom door.

"Thanks, Sere." Darien responded, sticking his head out from the slight crack he made by opening the door. His cheeks looked flushed, small beads of sweat clung to his forehead and Serena noticed he was still at least half naked. They stood in silence for a moment longer, both silently recalling visual cues as they sheepishly gazed at each other. After half a minute longer, Darien snapped back to reality and frowned, mostly at himself. Cursing under his breath, he redirected his annoyance toward Serena. "Put some clothes on." He grumbled before shutting his door again.

Tugging on the bottom of her towel self consciously, Serena blew a loud raspberry in response.

* * *

Andrew strolled over to the dinner table where Darien and an awfully green looking Serena sat nibbling on dinner quietly.

"So, let's see how we're progressing so far." Andrew saw down, splaying some slips of paper down on the dinner table next to his fork. "It looks like you two are equally in the lead for knocking off those resolutions."

"Really?" Serena's eyes lit up briefly.

"Sure. Sere, you've done well on your entrance exams, you've gotten a job and you've managed to eat fruit every day so far this year. You're on the right track there"

"But I thought you had three things ticked off too, Drew." Darien's muffled voice interjected as he chewed on a salad leaf.

"Well, I didn't get to complete one of my resolutions." Andrew chuckled sheepishly as a rosy tinge stained his cheeks.

"You forgot Reika's birthday again, didn't you?" Darien rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well… I learnt how to make a proper risotto in order to make it up to Reika, so we're all good now. I'm out of the danger zone; and Serena helped me condition myself to stop biting my nails. So I've got two down, one failed and two to go."

"How did _he_ manage to tick three resolutions off of his list when he wasn't even serious about them!.?" Serena pointed accusingly at Darien who shrugged in an indifferent manner.

"Well you took him to dance classes, and from what I hear, Dar's a bit of a natural. He bought you Gandalf for White Day, so technically he bought a pet rabbit, and then there's the most obvious, the almighty Darien has fallen in love."

"Shut up." Darien monotonously warned.

"Really?" Serena raised a curious eyebrow at Darien. "Who is it?"

"It's no one."

"You really don't know, Sere?" Andrew provoked in a not-so-subtle manner.

"Shut up Drew." Darien responded abruptly.

"So you have a girlfriend then?" Serena naively questioned.

"No I don't." Darien responded firmly.

"Not yet, you mean." Andrew added cheekily. Darien growled under his breath and Andrew took that as his cue to move the conversation right along. "So, Sere, when are you going away?"

"You're going away?" Darien questioned with a subtle, desperate curiosity. His interest was peaked.

"Yeah, I'm going away in the Summer holidays to see mama and Shingo. I leave on the 22nd."

"That's not too far away. Are you excited?" Andrew languidly continued to pick at his dinner.

"How long will you be gone?" Darien interjected once again.

"I… um…" Serena was slightly taken aback by Darien's seemingly anxious interrogation. Andrew sat back and watched in mild amusement at the question-answer ping pong match that was unfolding before him.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Darien queried.

"Uh I… I'll be gone for two weeks. I come back on the 6th August. I just got all the tickets finalized."

"Oh, I'll see you off at the airport then."

"There's really no need, and besides, they only live six hours away. I'll be catching the train."

"Oh good, that's much safer." Darien nodded in approval. "I'll take you to the station."

"I…but… don't you have classes that day?" Serena blinked, a little unsure about why Darien was being so accommodating.

"That's right, Dar. Don't you have to present your research proposal that day?" Andrew added, reminding his best friend about the important date marked on his calendar. Darien glanced away briefly as he reshuffled his thoughts and counted days in his mind. A slight cringe a moment later affirmed Andrew's statement and an awkward silence befell the room.

It is said that Summer is the season for passionate emotions, with Summer Love being the most powerful and passionate of all feelings. With intensely hot, sticky days followed by blustering winds and brilliant storms, it is no wonder that Summer is the most unforgiving season. It often reflects the mood and state of tumultuous love. This was especially true for the unknowing Prince of the Earth, and as Darien sat in quiet contemplation of how he was going to spend two weeks without seeing Serena's smile, the skies clouded over and a deluge of water suddenly began to pour from the sulky looking skies.

* * *

. . .

Aaaaalrighty so there's another chapter done. I will definitely post up another chapter within the week ^_^ I'm working on a new chapter of _Akai Ito_ too, just in case any of you were wondering! I've missed reading all your reviews so please read and review!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	12. A Birthday Bash For Darien the Hermit

Hi everyone ^_^ Look! Another chapter! Like I promised! Working on the next one as we speak, but with my report due next week, it won't be ready for a little while, so please bear with me for a wee bit my dears.

_**Thanks to:**_ Leslie, b..worm, Goddess of the Moonlit Sky, Usako, Starrlight1812, TaliMoonAngel668, Stacey, SerentiyMoonGodness, life705, deedee, midnightdreamz, TropicalRemix, CharmedSerenity3, sailormoon489, perfect beauty, Moon Princess Selene, stephumz, ScarletL, Jessica, moon86, devilsangels11287 _**and**_ Jenbunny _**for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** A Birthday Bash for Darien the Hermit

"When a man is tired of life on his 21st birthday, it indicates that he is rather tired of something in himself."  
_[-F Scott Fitzgerald]_

Darien sat on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table and his arms crossed as he watched the news on television. He had moved Gandalf, from his usual spot at the dining table, to the spot on the couch beside him. Darien had decided that they both needed the company. It was Summer break and he was home alone. Serena was away visiting her mother for two weeks and since Andrew had no obligations, he was spending as much of his Summer vacation period practically living at Reika's apartment for the duration of Serena's absence.

"It's just you and me, buddy." Darien turned his gaze towards the non-responsive plush rabbit. Just as he was beginning to settle into his quiet afternoon routine of falling asleep in front of the television, the phone rang.

"Daz!" A rather chipper sounding Andrew yelled through the phone.

"Oh hey, Drew. For the last time, I'm not going to drop off clean underwear for you. If you need clothes, come home and do your own laundry." Darien rolled his eyes.

"No, no. I called to ask you what you're doing tonight."

"Uh, eating noodles from a cup? The same as yesterday, why?"

"What?" Andrew looked at the phone strangely for a moment before returning it back to his ear. "It's your twenty-first birthday! We have to go out! It's a rite of passage. We have to get you drunk and find a girl for your sorry ass sack of bones."

"I don't know..." Darien hesitated. "I don't like making a big deal about my birthday. It's just another day, after all."

"Yes but it gives us an excuse to party. So get up off the couch and get dressed. We're going out tonight. Reika's called up a few of her girl friends and booked a table at a restaurant in the city. We'll come and meet you at the apartment in about an hour."

"But-" Darien's protests were cut short by an impatient Andrew.

"No _buts_. We can't have you moping about the apartment alone and missing Serena on your birthday."

"I'm not missing Dumpling Head!" Darien smacked his palm across his forehead in frustration.

"Good cause she comes back in a couple days anyway. Until then, we'll go out and party. Get ready. See you in an hour." Andrew chuckled slightly and hung up the phone, leaving Darien slightly bewildered and listening to the dial tone on the other end.

* * *

Darien looked about the busier-than-usual apartment in amazement. He had never seen so many attractive young women together in such a small room before in his life. There were at least five, not including Reika, and another two male acquaintances that Darien knew from university.

"That's a really nice shirt. Oh, and happy birthday." A tall brunette woman wrapped her arms around Darien's neck and placed a small kiss on his cheek as the apartment door swung open again.

"Hey! Sere! What are you doing back already?" Andrew turned his attention towards the front door.

"Hi..." Serena looked about the unusually crowded apartment and spotted the back of the tall, dark haired university student that she had been eagerly wishing to see. He had an arm around another, rather leggy, gorgeous woman. "I'm home early." Serena stated the obvious in a rather flat tone. Andrew noticed Serena's deflated expression as she spotted the apple of her eye. As Darien pulled away from his new female companion, he could sense a change in the room and turned his attention to the new presence at the door.

"Dumpling! What are you doing here?" Darien watched as Serena cringed at his not-so-flattering nick name for her. He seemed to rush over as he helped her bring her bags into the apartment. Serena plastered a cheery smile over her envy of the other women in the room. Here she was, wearing a cute little summer dress, whilst all the other females were clad in sexy skin tight, thigh revealing mini dresses which accentuated their curves and emphasized their long, endless legs. Her hair was probably dishevelled from falling asleep on the train ride back, whilst all the other girls had perfect straightened, glossy locks. They all seemed like such great physical matches for Darien's handsomeness. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. He looked great. Not like he missed her at all.

"I'm home early." Serena repeated meekly.

"Why didn't you call us to let us know? I could have picked you up from the train station." Darien wheeled the last of the bags through the apartment door before closing it behind him.

"I wanted to surprise you." Serena looked around the room nervously. "Since it's your birthday, and all." She shifted her gaze back down to her feet. "I didn't think you had anything planned, so I thought we'd order some pizza and have a _Lord of the Rings _marathon, with Gandalf too, of course. I've missed... him." Serena's voice eventually died down as she caught herself rambling. She looked up briefly and watched Darien slip a hand into the pocket of his jeans. The way that the long sleeves of his black striped dress shirt had been folded up half way up his arm showed off his toned forearms and Serena found herself daydreaming once more.

"Oh, sorry Sere." Darien tilted his head to the side as he spoke. He wanted to convey some sort of emotion which showed his sincerity, but she seemed to be focused on something on his chest. "Andrew and Reika decided that they'd take me out tonight with some friends. Any other time and you'd be more than welcome to come along, but I think Drew has plans to hit the clubs tonight." Darien explained. Even as he said the words, he knew it was ridiculous. The idea of him going to a nightclub seemed like an absurd scenario. He would be like a fish out of water. Darien didn't like crowded places. He preferred to be spending a quiet night at home, with a simple meal and a good book.

"That's alright!" Serena plastered another smile across her face to mask her disappointment. "I should have known. You're twenty-one after all. Of course you'd have plans for your birthday! Silly me. Well, I'm going to go unpack my stuff. Have a drink for me, ok?" Serena quickly gathered her bags and proceeded towards her room, but was stopped dead in her tracks by another presence.

"Oh, you must be Andrew's _baby_ cousin." The heavily made up brunette from earlier snuck up from behind Darien, linking one of her arms with his affectionately. "It's nice to meet you... Dumpling, was it?" She giggled at the absurd nickname. Serena lowered her gaze in embarrassment at the woman's condescending tone. It was already bad enough that she had come home early for nothing, but the presence of this woman made things a million times worse. Serena knew that she had no chance up against _real_ women. Educated women with class, style and grace. In Darien's eyes, she must've looked completely ridiculous. There was no chance that he would ever think of her as anything other than Andrew's baby cousin. There was five years difference between them, and after all, Serena _was_ still just another ditzy teen to him.

"No, her name's Serena." Darien informed, subtly pulling his arm away from the strangers grasp. "No one calls her Dumpling but _me_." He added, catching Serena's attention. She smiled at the playful glint in his dark blue eyes. Darien was defending her. "That's _my_ nickname for her. _You_ should call her Serena."

"Well then, it's nice to meet you Serena." The flustered woman glanced down at Serena with lowered lids before rolling her eyes with distain. Serena took that as her cue to leave.

"It was nice to meet you too." She nodded her head and smiled politely before turning back to Darien. "Well, have fun tonight." She waved before she quickly rushed down the hall and into her room, closing the door behind her. Sighing out loud, Serena slumped her weight up against the door in bitter disappointment.

* * *

"You're not enjoying yourself at all, are you?" Andrew quietly pulled his friend aside during dinner. Darien had barely touched his meal and seemed to be in quite the silent mood.

"No, of course I am!" Darien shrugged, acting as though he had no idea about his best friend's accusations. "I really appreciate the effort that both you and Reika went through to throw this party together. It's great! I'm having a ball."

"You're thinking about Serena, aren't you?" Andrew raised an all knowing eyebrow at Darien.

"What? No!" Darien attempted to bluff his way through the conversation, but his best friend knew better. "Look, she's a walking disaster. I'm just worried that we won't have an apartment to return to at the end of the night." Nice save... or so he thought.

"Riiiight." Andrew rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm worried for her too. The last time she made popcorn, she set off all the smoke alarms on our apartment level. So, if you're going to head home then take this with you." He handed his friend a take away bag containing some cake and pudding. "Thanks for volunteering to go home to make sure that the place isn't flooded or on fire. You're a real champ, Daz. It's a pity that you ended up having a headache on your birthday and couldn't come out to the clubs with us, but what can you do, eh? You should go home and get some rest. Maybe watch a movie or three." Andrew patted his friend on the back as he played along.

"Thanks, Drew." Darien smiled his first genuine smile of the night since leaving the apartment.

* * *

"Stupid idiot." Serena sniffled again, reaching over to yank a tissue from the coffee table. She watched with angst in the darkened living room as Gandalf took on the _Balrog_ in the film. "I can't believe I came home early for nothing." Another sob escaped from Serena's lips as she hastily wiped away her tears. "I already miss mama so much. I could have stayed for another three days. Instead I'm sitting here watching... Gandalf, you should have run! You could have made it out!" Serena yelled at the television as she reached for another tissue. "The idiot is probably drunk off his face by now, gyrating in the middle of a club somewhere, sandwiched between two amazing looking big breasted bimbos, making dance floor babies in front of everyone. What an Idiot. I'm such an idiot." Serena continued to berate herself for a moment more before throwing her scrunched up tissue onto the coffee table in disgust. "No, you know what? I'm not the idiot. He's the idiot. I'm going to stop crying and forget about him."

"Did I miss any of the good fight scenes?" Darien slipped into the dark apartment ever so casually, startling Serena.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be celebrating your birthday with those boobs- I-I-mean your friends?" Serena sat up on the sofa and paused the movie.

"Nah, they were crampin' up my style. You should see Drew dance. 'Embarrassing' doesn't even begin to describe it." Darien handed the brown paper bag to Serena as he sat down on the sofa beside her and picked up a slice of pizza from the box on the coffee table. "I'm starving! I felt bad ordering anything large or substantial from the menu of that expensive restaurant. That's the dessert I saved for you, by the way." He gnawed at his slice of cold pizza relentlessly as a silent Serena watched on, slightly confused. "Are you gonna press play?" He mumbled through a stuffed mouthful of crust.

"You're going to celebrate the rest of your twenty-first birthday at home, eating room temperature pizza from a box? That's not very glamorous. Are you sure Andy was the one that couldn't dance? I think that maybe _you're_ the one who got banned from the club for being an embarrassment, and as a result, you had to come home." Serena glanced into the brown paper bag and her eyes instantly lit up. Unfortunately for her though, her comments came a little too premature, and Darien snatched the brown paper bag of goodies back. Serena whimpered pathetically as she reached for the bag that Darien held just out of her reach.

"That's not very nice, considering you travelled five hours by train just to come home early for my birthday. I thought you wanted to spend the night with me." Darien spoke as he munched on his cold pizza with one hand and dangled Serena's dessert teasingly just out of reach, over the armrest of the couch, with the other. He used his pizza elbow to keep Serena at bay.

"I didn't come home just to see you, Darien-idiot." Serena reached out for the bag in desperation.

"Then why did you come home early?"

"Well... because..." At that moment, Serena leant against Darien's arm to reach for her dessert bag just as he lowered it, causing her to lose balance and fall across his lap. Darien simply extended his arm out a little further and held the bag out over the side of the couch. "Darieeeeen!" Serena pouted, pulling herself up and kneeling back onto the couch to sit on her heels. The stubborn twenty-one year old brought the bag in closer and playfully dangled it near his face.

"Admit it, you came home to see me, didn't you? You missed me. 'Fess up, Dumpling." Darien finished the remainder of his pizza slice and licked the sauce from his thumb. Serena sighed and rolled her eyes, before a brilliant idea popped into her mind. Under lowered lids, Serena placed a hand half way up Darien's thigh and leant forward, resting her body weight against him gently. Darien froze in place at the feeling of such intimate physical contact. Her lips fell apart slightly as she leant forward, inching her face closer towards Darien's.

"You're right, I missed you." Serena whispered seductively into Darien's ear. He shuddered slightly as her warm breath tickled against his left earlobe, but what shocked him even more was when she leant forward an inch closer. Unbeknownst to Serena, as she lowered her lips to graze along Darien's neck, she accidentally brushed her breasts against his arm. The breath caught at the back of Darien's throat as he pulled back ever so slightly and turned his face towards the blonde minx. His cheek brushed against hers and their noses met. Darien dropped the brown paper bag in order to pull Serena in closer, but as he did, she pounced. Leaping away from him, she dove for the bag. "Yes!" She exclaimed victoriously. "Cake!" An innocent giggle escaped her lips as she rummaged through the bag and pulled out a pudding cup and a chocolate slice. It was a complete stark contrast to the smooth seductress that she seemed to be merely seconds ago. Darien released the breath that he had been holding in and shifted back in his seat. Grabbing a stray sofa cushion, he positioned it strategically on his lap and reached for the DVD player remote, pressing the play button.

"Yeah," He cleared his throat, trying his best to sound composed and casual. "I knew you missed me."

Serena glanced over at the somewhat flustered looking man sitting on the sofa next to her and childishly blew him a raspberry before devouring her chocolatey treat.

* * *

Andrew crept back into the apartment at three in the morning. All the lights were off, but a faint glow emanated from the living room area. As he tiptoed towards the source of the light, he found the television still on and the DVD title screen for _The Two Towers_ playing over and over in an endless loop. On closer inspection, he noticed scattered pieces of popcorn around the coffee table, as well as numerous chocolate wrappers and discarded chip packets tossed about. Gandalf lay slumped in the valley between the sofa and the coffee table.

The couch looked like it had undergone a sleepover club makeover. Numerous pillows lined its edges, cushioning the sluggish occupants. Darien was slouched diagonally across the sofa, with one leg propped up on the coffee table. His right arm suspended over the side armrest and his chin turned towards his right shoulder as he slept. It seemed as though Serena too had also fallen asleep whilst watching the movie, and somehow during the duration of her slumber, she had moulded her body against Darien's. She rested her head against his chest as they slept, and Andrew couldn't help but notice that her left arm had snaked its way across Darien's abdomen as she used him as a body pillow. Finding a nearby throw, Andrew unfurled the light blanket and covered the two sleeping forms in it. He cringed as Darien stirred briefly, moaning something about orcs and _Aragorn_ within his sleep.

"Not yet, not yet." Andrew prayed under his breath that neither one would wake up. "I haven't taken photographic evidence yet." His wish was granted threefold, and as if by divine intervention, Darien's left arm slipped from its position over the back of the sofa and rested gently across Serena's shoulders. She hummed momentarily in her sleep, seeming to enjoy the new additional warmth. As if by fate, Darien seemed to somehow detect Serena's presence and contentment, for his right arm soon shifted and he unconsciously wrapped both of his arms around the sleeping young teen protectively. Desperately trying not to make a sound, Andrew picked up the remote control to turn the DVD player off.

"Can you change the DVD over to _The Return of the King_, please?" Serena's gentle whisper still managed to scare Andrew out of his skin. He jumped, startled, and spun around to see the petite blonde, still laying in the same position that he had last saw her in, but with her eyes now open and seemingly wide awake. "Sorry if I scared you." She smiled sheepishly as she rested her head back down on Darien's shoulder. "I'd change it over myself, but it looks like I'm stuck, and I don't want to wake him up." Andrew nodded, glancing over at the softly snoring Darien.

"Still," Andrew carefully opened up the limited edition boxed case and changed the discs. "You don't look too uncomfortable there."

"Nothing happened. I swear." Serena hissed in her own defence.

"No, I know." Andrew nodded again in an all-knowing manner.

"I think I fell asleep first. It was a long train ride. I don't know how we both ended up... tangled." Serena glanced up at the snoozing man beneath her. Her nose brushed along his collarbone and he smiled ever so slightly in his sleep.

"I know. It's a long movie." Andrew added as he skipped past the DVD trailers. "But still," He added. "You look comfortable." Serena couldn't help but smile as she watched the small, unconscious tug at the corner of Darien's lips. Realising that she must have looked like a complete and utterly hopeless love-struck fool, her expression shifted to that of a scowl and she leant her head back gently onto Darien's chest.

"Comfortable? Ha!" Serena attempted at sarcasm, but instead, found herself on the receiving end of one of Andrew's equally (if not more) sarcastically transparent raised eyebrow looks. "Well, I guess." She attempted to amend her previous statement. "I mean, you know, for someone with so much muscle and zero personality... He's surprisingly warm." Thankfully for Serena, the room was dark; else Andrew might have seen the growing tinge of scarlet staining her cheeks at that very moment.

"Well good. As long as you're comfortable then." Andrew hit the play button on the DVD remote. "I'm heading back to Reika's place. I'll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Sere."

"Wait, aren't you the least bit concerned about leaving your little cousin in such a compromising position with _this_ perv for a whole night?" Serena watched as Andrew started to walk towards the door.

"No. Why would I be?" Andrew shrugged, feigning innocence as he slipped his shoes on. "I trust you two, and besides, it's not as though either one of you has feelings for the other, right?"

"Uh, sure." Serena nodded slightly. "Yeah, that's right."

"Good, then I have nothing to worry about. Enjoy the movie and stay... warm." Andrew smiled and closed the apartment door behind him. He wondered if Serena knew that her decision to come home early had probably made Darien's birthday wish come true.

* * *

. . .

Naawww... Cute yea? Let me know what you thought about it guys. I'm going to bring in some of the original canon into this story too. It's a bit of a juggling act, but I want this story to weave in and out of the original story line. I like trying to fill in the blanks with my own version of events. Anywho, please leave a review and let me know what you think ^_^

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	13. Dar's Moral Dilemma A Red Gem Appears!

I'm back! Yay! I'm so happy- this story has hit the 300 review mark. That's amazing! I can't thank you all enough for your kind words and wonderful reviews.

_**Thanks to:** _Loca8892, A person, kireisnowtenshi, UnknownBeauty, Miss Katrina Malfoy, KLeighB, Kelly, TaliMoonAngel668, Leslie, life705, stephumz, deedee, moon86, scooby-blues, Jenbunny, Jessica, mangamania, MinnieMoosi, perfect beauty, ScarletL, Goddess of the Moonlit Sky, devilsangels11287, SerentiyMoonGodness, xx, Moon Princess Selene _**and**_ CharmedSerenity3 _**for reviewing the previous chapter ^_^**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 13. Dar's Moral Dilemma. A Red Gem Appears!

"Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same, but get better."  
_[-Sydney J. Harris]_

"It will storm this afternoon." Darien mumbled, staring up at the sky, as Andrew approached him on the balcony.

"It's weird how you can do that." Andrew handed Darien a hot mug of coffee as he peered out towards the horizon, and leant against the balcony railing. "You're like a human weather radar. It's almost like you have some sort of affinity with Mother Nature herself."

"Cirrus clouds on a Summer morning indicate an afternoon storm." Darien took a small sip from his mug. "Everyone knows that."

"No," Andrew interrupted. "No one knows random trivial crap like that." Taking a seat on one of the nearby chairs, he watched the bustling streets below fill with morning commuters on their way to work and school. "Darien, my friend, you know too much stuff. You need a girlfriend."

"I don't need anyone else to make me happy. I'm fine as I am, Drew."

"Good grief, you're so stubborn." Andrew smirked as he shook his head. "Just let her in. Lower that guard of yours and let yourself fall for her. For once in your life, let go."

"She's too young, and besides. It could be dangerous."

"It's _supposed _to be scary, and thrilling, and-"

"That's not what I meant." Darien gently swished the dark liquid around in his cup. "If I let my guard down, I run the risk of becoming comfortable."

"Comfortable's good, right?" Andrew cocked his head to the side, giving his friend a curious glance.

"No, comfortable's dangerous. Comfortable could be the downfall of... Miss Moon... and I won't have that. There's a reason why Clark Kent never revealed his identity to Lois Lane. It would have put her in danger, and besides, she was in love with Superman anyway."

"Actually, Clark did reveal his identity to Lois, and the two eventually got married." Andrew informed.

"Oh really?" Darien pulled away from the balcony, suddenly taking a lighter interest in the change of subject. "I need to catch up on the latest season."

"Yeah it's a good one." Andrew nodded. "But in all seriousness, I think the fact that you knew exactly who I was referring to is a sign that she's on your brain, and if she is, then you should think about telling her."

"I don't think so, Drew. I don't think anything other than a purely platonic peace keeper-to-protector type relationship will ever emerge between Serena and myself. We're just too different for it to ever work. Sailor Moon idolises Tuxedo Mask because he's cool, he's suave and strong. If Sailor Moon were to ever find out who his true identity was, it would kill all the mystery. There's no way I could live up to that. I'm boring; she's full of life."

"You'd both be good for each other." Andrew nodded, pretending to be in agreement.

"There's nothing going on between Serena and I, Drew. There never will be. We're too different and it's too risky. It was never meant to be, and as I said earlier, I'm happy being single." Darien downed the last of his morning brew without any further interruptions or persuasions from Andrew. "I'd block your ears soon." Darien glanced down at his wrist watch. "Dumpling Head's morning alarm is about to sound."

Right on cue and as if by fate, a deep ground shaking rumble tore through the apartment building accompanied by a deafening, blaring siren sound. Andrew clasped his hands over his ears while Darien winced for a moment. The two men listened for a groan of annoyance, followed by a loud 'thud' which preceded the peaceful calm of silence once again.

"I'm alright!" Serena bellowed in her usual slightly raspy sounding morning voice.

"Fall out of bed again, Dumpling Head?" Darien yelled back.

"Yep!" Serena called once more.

"You know, I'm surprised the neighbours haven't complained about that yet." Andrew wriggled a finger in his ear to still the high pitched ringing tone that continued to resonate in his head. Darien shrugged, rather indifferent about the matter.

"I think they're too scared I'll turn the volume up again... like last time."

* * *

"Luna!" Serena whined as she waved her newly acquired wand about. "How do we know when we find it if we don't even know what it is we're looking for?"

"I've told you so many times already, Serena. The wand will sound when we get close." Luna looked about to make sure no one else could hear her speak.

"Close to what? This would be a lot easier if you told me what we're searching for, that way I can keep an eye-"

"Who's he?" Lita interrupted, murmuring to herself as she watched an unknown man stroll out of the Crown Arcade, toting a large sack of plush toys over his shoulder. "He's so dreamy..."

"Oh! You mean Game Machine Joe!" Serena skipped by Lita's side. "He's amazing. He comes into Andy's arcade every two weeks or so and wins all these UFO plushies then donates them all to the children's wing of the hospital."

"Amazing." Lita murmured once again as if she were entranced. Her feet began to wander and she found herself shadowing Joe's every step.

"Lita! Lita, where are you going? Lita! I'm pretty sure stalking is illegal." Serena attempted to chase after her boy-crazy friend.

Fifteen minutes. That's how long Serena and Luna followed Lita as she silently stalked the legendary Game Machine Joe on his usual route from the arcade to the hospital. Fifteen minutes is how long it took for Joe to realise he was being followed. After the seventeenth minute, Joe stopped in his tracks, slammed the bag of toys down on the pebble strewn path and swivelled around to confront his stalkers.

"What? What is it you want? Is it the toys? Well you can't have them!" He bellowed, almost nose to nose with an unwavering Lita.

"No, that's not it." Lita replied in a gentle whisper. "I-I just wanted to know if you needed any help. I think you're amazing... I wanted to get to know you."

"I don't need your help. Bug off." Joe spat back as he picked up the sack of toys and flung them over his shoulder before calling over his shoulder. "Go away and stop following me!"

"That's so rude!" Serena yelled at Joe's retreating form. "We were only trying to help!" she continued before turning to her emotionally wounded friend. "Lita, are you alright? What a jerk! Come on, let's go."

"No wait." Lita continued to watch as Joe walked away. "I can't shake the feeling that he needs our help."

"My dear Lita, have you thought about getting your ears checked? He clearly didn't want our-"

"ARRRGHHH!"

"Awww nuts." Serena smacked her palm against her forehead as Lita sprinted towards the sound of Joe's scream. Just as Serena was about to follow, Luna nipped her ankle. "Oww! What was that f-"

"Serena! Look at your wand." Luna nudged. "It's reacting. What we're looking for is nearby, and I have a feeling that the enemy is also looking for it. Quick, you need to transform!"

. . .

As Sailor Moon bounded towards the scene, she spotted Joe on all fours, clutching at his chest with Lita defending him against a whirlwind of sakura petals.

"It's completely useless." Zoicite laughed. "There's no point trying to protect him. He's one of us. Arise, Shadow Warrior Gesen!"

"There!" Luna exclaimed, "It's the crystal!"

"Moon Tiara Magic!" Sailor Moon hurled a beam of moonlight towards Joe as he transformed. Her tiara skilfully grazed Zoicite's upper arm before bending back, hitting the red crystal and sending it flying away from Zoicite's grasp.

"Give me that!" Zoicite lunged as Lita caught the red crystal.

Tuxedo Mask watched, hidden from view behind a nearby tree. He waited for the last moment before making his presence known. Flinging a razor sharp rose, the tip sliced across Zoicite's knuckles, causing him to retreat.

"Ugh." He clasped his wounded hand. "You may have the crystal for now, but you can bet that I'll come back for it. In the mean time, Gesen, kill them all." Zoicite commanded before disappearing in a flurry of cherry blossom petals.

"Sailor Moon, you can't use your tiara on him, he's still human. You need to weaken him and try to heal him with the Moon Wand."

"Got it, Luna." Sailor Moon ducked and dived various attacks from the Shadow Warrior. Out of the corner of his eye, Tuxedo Mask spotted Lita sneaking into a nearby alleyway. He moved to follow her, but a figure emerged moments later, clad in an ivy green Sailor suit. As Sailor Moon struggled in the grasp of one of Gesen's claws, Sailor Jupiter announced her presence and attacked swiftly in order to subdue the Shadow Warrior and free her leader.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" An exhausted Sailor Moon restored Gesen to his former human self. She waited for Joe to regain consciousness to check his state before allowing him to continue on like nothing had even happened. Sailor Jupiter watched Joe until she could no longer see his form, making a mental note to check up on him again very soon.

"Sailor Moon." Luna addressed as Sailor Jupiter handed the red gem over to her leader. "Call the other Sailor Soldiers for an emergency meeting. I think it's time that we told you about the Seven Crystals and the Moon Princess.

* * *

Her breasts were the first thing that he noticed. Okay, to be fair, it was the dazzling golden star locket pinned to her bust. She was slender and quite petite; probably a decent foot shorter than he was. As he approached her, she turned away from him and addressed him formally. There was something about the tone in her voice that made her sound endearing, and yet she commanded him in a manner that could have risen armies of hardened soldiers.

"Endymion." Her voice sounded soft like silken honey, yet bold. It never wavered, it never faltered.

"Yes, Princess." Darien found himself kneeling before the mysterious woman.

"Please Endymion, find the crystal. Bring the Silver Crystal to me." Her voice echoed against the intricately carved white marble decorating the otherwise barren room.

"But how? Who are you?" Darien watched as her gentle figure swayed about the room for a moment, seeming to glide across the cool white floor. She turned to face him, but all details of her face were enveloped within dark shadows which obscured her identity. He couldn't quite make out what she looked like, even as she approached him and placed a gentle hand across his cheek. A wave of nostalgia washed over the armour clad prince, yet for some reason, he couldn't figure out why.

"My dear Endymion, bring me the crystal and all will become clear again." The princess's voice resonated clearly in his head, jolting him back to reality like a large electric shock.

"Woah, dude. Bad dream?" Andrew flicked the channel, leaning back on his recliner.

"What happened? Where am I?" Darien rubbed his eyes as he sat up on the sofa, trying to quash the feeling of complete confusion that he was feeling.

"You're at home, buddy. You fell asleep on the couch. It's almost midnight." Andrew looked over at Darien, who seemed to be having difficulty readjusting to the real world. "Are you alright? You look a little pale."

"Strange dream, I guess." Darien shook his head to try to clear it. The sound of her voice still sounded in his ears, sending goose bumps travelling up his neck. "Reoccurring dream."

"Want to talk about it? Andrew shuffled into his 'therapist' position. "Is it about a certain girl?"

"Yes it's about a girl. No it's not about _her_." Darien leaned back on the sofa and stared up at the ceiling. He lowered his voice slightly just in case Serena was still awake in her room. "Believe it or not, Drew, I think she's some sort of princess... from the Moon."

"Right, well. Normally I'd be the one throwing hypothetical 'what ifs' about people living on the Moon and you'd be the one shaking your head at me, telling me about the startling lack of atmosphere, water and various other essential elements needed for human existence on the Earths only satellite." Andrew softened his slightly sceptical look. "But considering the fact that you have an alter ego who leaps tall buildings in a single bound, I'm going to look past that minor detail and ask you to continue with your crazy-nut story."

"Yeah, thanks, Drew." Darien rolled his eyes briefly before continuing. "I used to see her a lot in my dreams as a child. Whenever I felt sad or lonely, she always came to me. She told me to look for her, to find her. I had no idea what she was talking about at the time because it was pretty clear to me that I could see her in my dreams. But now I know, that's not what she meant." Darien's hushed tone grew more and more excited with every word. "She wanted me to find her in real life. I don't know who she is, but I think she knows who I am. She keeps calling me by the name _Endymion_, but she says she won't tell me any more until I bring her the Silver Crystal."

"Right, and you think this has something to do with the shiny red paperweight that Serena brought back from the battle and now has hidden under her bed." Andrew struggled to keep up with Darien's strange ramblings.

"I don't know for sure, but I think it has everything to do with that crystal. I stopped dreaming of her ten years ago, and it wasn't until Sailor Moon found that crystal that she came to me again."

"Your mysterious Moon Princess?"

"That's right."

"Right." Andrew nodded. "Of course. But you don't have the crystal, Sailor Moon does."

"I know." Darien took a deep breath and exhaled loudly in a frustrated manner. "I don't know what to do. I need that crystal, Drew. I need to find out who I am."

"Well you can't steal it." Andrew stated in a flat tone. He watched as Darien's eyes glazed over in thought. "Darien!" He called out again.

"What? No, I know." Darien blinked a number of times in order to focus his attention back to his dilemma.

"It's not even the same colour as the one that she asked for. She wanted a silver one, right?" Andrew tried to reason.

"Well, yes. But I don't know if it works like that. When I get close to that crystal, it triggers something inside me. A familiar feeling. A sense of déjà vu. I think it once belonged to the Princess too. I need to get them back to her."

"Well, the way I see it, I don't think Sailor Moon is a threat to you. She's on your side and fighting for justice. Obviously everyone's trying to get their hands on this crystal for a reason and at the moment, the safest place for it is probably with Sailor Moon, because Tuxedo Mask is always looking out for her, right?"

"I suppose." Darien nodded in agreement. It all sounded quite reasonable and logical.

"So give it a bit of time and see how these dreams pan out. When the time comes, you may have to ask Serena for the crystal, which most likely means revealing your little secret to her, and that's a big thing, Daz. Once you tell her, you can't un-tell her, so think carefully about this." The ever rational Andrew warned as he mediated his friend's dilemma.

"You're right." Darien clasped his head within his hands.

"Of course I am." Andrew shrugged, giving his friend a reassuring smile. "In the mean time though, _trust _Serena." Darien's eyes glazed over once again as he stared off into the distance.

"I just hope that when the time comes for me to take those crystals, no one gets hurt."

* * *

. . .

So there you have it. Another chapter out and the first of the seven crystals has been found. Hope you liked it! Please review and let me know what you thought. Unlike the anime, I won't be rushing through the search for the seven rainbow crystals. HOPEFULLY for once in my writing career I'll be able to synchronise my Christmas and New Year chapters in real time... or close to. Anyway, let me know what you thought!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	14. It's the Little Things

Surprise chapter! I'm sorry for my impromptu hiatus. I had a crazy end to last year and beginning of this year, and had to go through some pretty trying and somewhat tragic personal experiences. But as with all experiences comes growth and strength. Anyway, I've been meaning to update for a while, but felt my creative mojo was AWOL. I've kind of forced this chapter, and it's not what I wanted it to be. Quite jumpy, but I felt it was time to update and wanted to show you all that I'm still alive (haha) Thank you all for your ongoing support and understanding.

_**Thanks to:**_ anon, Jane Hood, Sailor Rallison, anon, K. Le-i-gh.B, life705, rainediamond, Twiggirl006, Kelly, Goddess of the Moonlit Sky, deedee, moon86, Moon Princess Selene, SailorMoon489, Usako, ScarletL, scooby-blues, MinnieMoosi, stephumz, devilsangels11287 _**and**_ Jenbunny _**for reviewing the previous chapter**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 14- It's the Little Things

"The truly important things in life - love, beauty, andone's own uniqueness- are constantly being overlooked."  
_[-Pablo Casals]_

It was the fifth consecutive day of a late Summer heatwave that caused Darien to skip his afternoon class to purchase an air conditioner. He couldn't stand it anymore. The scorching temperatures during the day made way for sticky, hot, humid nights which were so unbearably uncomfortable that Darien found himself sleeping in his shorts, on a deck chair on the balcony. He soon found that it was hardly any better with moths often roosting on or near him, and his mouth tasting almost like an ash tray in the morning. The stifling stagnant air of the previous night was doing nothing to relieve him of his misery. Worst of all, Darien was losing sleep. This meant lack of concentration during classes and an overall grumpy Darien. Grumpy Darien meant a lower tolerance threshold for Serena's immaturity, and thus, more petty arguments. This made Darien sad.

"I'll take that one." Darien pointed to the nearest split cycle air conditioner and handed the retail assistant his credit card.

Rushing home, Darien almost drove over a group of senior citizens, two parking inspectors and a sidewalk cafe. He lagged the huge box that contained his new best friend into the elevator, down the level corridor and into the apartment where he sneakily dragged it into his room. Unpacking the air conditioner in a flurry of bubble wrap and Styrofoam, he managed to install it in twenty minutes, before kicking aside the huge cardboard box and falling back onto his bed in a sweaty mass of relief as cool air rushed across his back.

"Darien, are you home?" Serena called out as she knocked on his bedroom door.

"Go away." Darien groaned loudly.

"Darien-idiot. I'm sorry about calling you a monkey faced moth muncher." Serena apologised through the door. "I was wondering if you wanted to come down to the pool with me, since it's soooooo hot today."

"No." He called out once again, rolling over in bed in order to cool down his front half. "I don't want to."

"Darien Chiba!" Serena swung the bedroom door open in protest only to be met with a rush of cool air.

"Hey hey hey! Go away, it's mine!" Darien leapt to his feet and pushed Serena back into the hallway.

"Wait, you have an air conditioner? When did you get an air conditioner?" Serena questioned before receiving a face full of door in response. "Darien, let me in! It's hot out here!" She whined, wriggling at the door handle trying to yank the door open.

"No! Get your own-"..._ 'Wait... bikini.'_ Darien's mind took half a second to register what Serena had been wearing and he opened the door again, pulling the astounded blonde teen into the room. "Hurry up, you'll let all the cold air out."

"Oh, it's so nice in here!" Serena let out a small giggle of delight before diving under the covers of Darien's bed.

"Hey, what are you doing, Dumpling?" Darien watched as Serena wriggled about under his sheets, making loud 'morning stretch' sounds of contentment.

"I'm getting comfy." Serena pulled the covers up to her chin, making sure that her shoulders were covered before kicking her feet out from underneath the covers, letting them stick out, exposing them to the cool air.

"It's summer, why do you have a blanket on?"

"I get cold easily." Serena replied simply before turning over in bed and yawning. "Goodnight, Dar."

"Good night? But it's mid afternoon." Darien glanced up at the air conditioner, then back down at the blonde in his bed. "Wait! What about going for a swim? You're wearing your swimsuit."

"This is much better." Serena closed her eyes and smiled with contentment. Realising that he had somehow managed to trade in an afternoon of splashing about with a bikini-clad Serena, with an afternoon of watching Serena's hair buns and feet poking out from underneath his covers while she slept, Darien soon turned his attention back to his new air conditioner and stood for a good five or so minutes, simply glaring at it.

The gentle sound of purring indicated that Serena had already fallen asleep. Darien frowned slightly in disappointment before reaching for one of his pillows. He placed it on the floor beside his bed and lay down for a nap under the treacherous air conditioner.

* * *

Darien raked his fingers through his hair in frustration as he wriggled to shed his shirt, hurling it in no particular direction, half way across the living room. A week had passed since he had bought his air conditioner, and this was now going to be the third consecutive night that he would have to spend sleeping on the couch. He had been kicked out of his bed again by Serena, who, this time, had not only snuck in to use his air conditioner without asking while he was at University, but had also helped herself to his movie collection and flat screen TV. But that's not all! She then had the nerve to fall asleep, looking like the epitome of peacefulness, wrapped up in his sheets and snuggled ever so cosily under his blanket, in _his_ bed.

"What are you doing?" Andrew noted Darien's agitated demeanour as he walked through the apartment door.

"Sleeping on the couch... again." Darien huffed as he threw about a number of small cushions. "That _sponge _stole my bed again."

"So? Move her back to her bed." Andrew kicked off his shoes before strolling ever so casually into the kitchen to pour himself a drink.

"Great idea! Why didn't I think of that before?" Darien leapt to his feet with a newfound sense of determination. He stormed into his room and scooped up the snuggle bunny in his arms, lifting her from her cosy cocoon of comfort before moving her hastily onto her own bed. He received minimal protest, until he tried to tuck the blanket over her feet.

"Stop it." Serena groaned in her sleep, kicking away at the blanket. Darien watched with curious amusement as he attempted once more to pull the covers over her toes. "You're suffocating me!" She kicked away at the blanket once again in an attempt to expose her feet.

"I wouldn't cover her feet if I were you." Andrew hollered from down the hallway. "She gets hot feet on humid nights and it makes her seriously grumpy."

Darien raised an eyebrow curiously as he placed a hand against the sole of Serena's right foot. True to word, they felt quite warmer than normal body temperature. Smirking quietly to himself at her strange quirkiness, Darien backed out of Serena's room and closed the door behind him. Changing into his sleeping shorts, he practically dove for his bed, relishing to coolness of his room and the comforting feeling of his soft Egyptian cotton sheets, before drifting into a peaceful slumber.

. . .

'_Oww...'_ Darien cringed as a hard pointy object smacked him across the back of his head as he slept. _'What the hell?'_ Opening his eyes slowly, he looked about the room. It was still dark and the air conditioner was still running quietly in the background. It wasn't until he flipped over onto his back that he realised there was an unusually foreign lump on his bed. His blanket was back, and with it, Serena.

"What are you doing in here?" Darien groggily poked the blankety mass beside him, earning an annoyed grunt for his efforts. "Go back to your room."

"It's hot." Serena's muffled whines came from beneath the covers.

"Well then take the blanket off."

"My arms get cold easily." She protested.

"Then how is it hot?" Darien turned to his side to face the strange contradiction of a person beside him. Serena slipped her feet over towards Darien, placing each one against his legs.

"Ooh, so cool..." Serena inched closer towards her personal cooling system.

"What the heck?" Darien glanced down at the delicate porcelain feet pressed gently up against his legs. "Have you been baking with them?"

"It's not funny." Serena pouted. "They get really hot."

"No kidding." Darien continued to stare down at her feet. He could have sworn that if he looked long enough, he would see heat waves radiating from them. "But you know, if Andrew comes in and finds us sleeping in the same bed, he's going to kill us."

"But my feet are hot." Serena's slow, dreamlike tone indicated that she was merely moments away from falling back to sleep. It became pretty evident that there was no way Darien could keep Serena away from his room. At least, not tonight.

* * *

"DAAAAARIIIEN! You jerk!" Serena's wailing screeches echoed down the hall from the bathroom. Darien smirked quietly to himself as he snuggled into bed and curled into a ball, somewhat bracing himself for the inevitable confrontation. "I'm going to kill you!" Serena wailed, a mixture of teariness and animosity carrying in her tone, and sure enough, her loud footsteps began pounding down the hallway. She stormed all the way back into Darien's bedroom, and pounced onto his sleeping form.

"Oww, you really need to cut back on those donuts you eat, dumpling."

"You're not funny!" Serena narrowed her eyes as she perched herself precariously on Darien's soon-to-be corpse, leaving barely an inch between their faces. "Do you think this is funny? Is this your idea of a practical joke?" Serena pointed at the thick, black, inky moustache ever so artistically drawn onto her face. She watched, fuming, as Darien struggled to suppress his laughter and keep a straight face.

"Yes." He answered simply before allowing himself the pleasure of a broad grin.

"It's not funny Darien. It won't come off! There's no way I can go to school like this!" Serena waited for Darien to offer a solution to her problem. His eyes began to tear up as he struggled to suppress his overwhelming need to laugh.

"It's-a me, Mario!" He grinned happily before proceeding to sing the Mario Bros. game tune.

"That's really mature." Serena rolled her eyes, sarcasm dripping from her tone. She reached for a pillow and began to repeatedly smack Darien across the head with it. "You're an ass. I hate you so much right now." Flinging the pillow forcefully at his face one last time, Serena stormed out of the room and made for the bathroom in another attempt to remove the permanent marker moustache from her face.

Needless to say, from that day forth, Darien had his bed all to himself again.

* * *

It wasn't until the third week of autumn had passed that the wind began to change. The cooler air combined with the hot, sweaty days gave rise to turbulent pressure systems and some violent, ground shaking thunder storms.

"You know, for someone who's so afraid of thunder, you really are taking your sweet-ass time getting home." Darien found himself stopping and turning around for the umpteenth time, this time, to the sight of Serena clinging to a poor strangled Ficus plant decorating the exterior of a cafe.

"I don't want to go out there!" Serena wailed over the sound of the rain. "You can't make me!"

"Are you seriousl-" Darien began in a frustrated, condescending tone as he approached the trembling girl, latched onto the flimsy trunk of the green plant. "Are you crying?"

"Just go home without me." Serena turned her face away, still grasping at the plant. "You don't understand what it's like. You're not scared of anything. Just go away. I don't need you standing there under your pretentious umbrella, making fun of me."

"How is my _umbrella_ pretentious? Do you even know what that word means?" Darien couldn't help but smile a little at her insecurity. A blinding flash of light barely preceded the loud thunderous crackle of a nearby strike which even made Darien flinch. Serena's pale knuckles continued to strangle the plant outside the cafe. This time she didn't scream. She didn't wail. The only thing that indicated any distress at was the consistent rustling of the leaves on the Ficus beside her, and a gentle mewing noise which seemingly came from Serena as she furiously rubbed her tears away. "Give me your hand." Darien reached his free hand towards Serena. She turned her head for a brief moment, almost as though she was waiting for the punch line. Serena's eyes glanced up at the heavens, and as if by fate, she was rewarded with another blinding vein of lightning, blazing across the sky. She squealed, bracing herself for the Earth to shake beneath her. Darien extended his hand further and surprised Serena as he yanked her rather forcefully away from the shrub and towards his body. He winced as the sound of the thunder seemed to travel straight through the petite girl, causing her to dig her nails into Darien's arm. She shuddered against his chest while he attempted to protect her from the storm.

"Let's go home." He whispered quietly and began to guide her back to the apartment. Serena remained absolutely silent, her claws latched onto the flesh of Darien's left arm. "I'm afraid of needles." Darien confessed after a while, in a futile attempt to distract Serena from the sounds of the storm. "Absolutely terrified. I hate them."

"R-really?" Serena gazed up at the Darien in disbelief. "But you're going to be a doctor."

"I know." Darien smirked, fully aware at of the irony. "Silly, isn't it?"

"Well..." Serena began after a moment of thought. "No. I don't think it is." The faint rumble of thunder in the distance did nothing to dissuade Serena from her argument. "You're willing to work through your fear in order to fulfil your dream of saving lives. That's... really cool."

"Well, to be honest, it's not like I'm the one that's going to be immunised every day, so I guess it's not really much of a big deal in the grand scheme of things." Darien shrugged. "But, do you know what's even worse than a needle?"

"What's that?" Serena questioned almost immediately.

"The feeling of ten fingernails, relentlessly digging into my left arm."

"I'm so sorry!" Serena immediately released her hold of Darien, and sure enough, he had a number of crescent shaped indents along his forearm, and several superficial scratches.

"It's ok." He chuckled in return, silently thanking the heavens that feeling was starting to return to his arm. "You're nervous and-" Another explosion of light illuminated the dark grey sky and in an instant, Darien's fingers were interlaced with Serena's. She had desperately reached over for support and protection. An overwhelming wave of nostalgia briefly swept over Darien, causing him to stop breathing for a few seconds as he felt the warmth of another hand within his. Serena was silently thankful that Darien hadn't reacted to her impulsive actions, and that he kept his gaze steadily on the path ahead of them. Although, her heart did beat wildly within her chest as she felt his fingers curl ever so slightly, accommodating hers in a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"We're home." Darien reluctantly released Serena's hand and reached into his pocket to search for his swipe entry card.

"Thank you... for walking me home today." Serena humbly expressed her gratitude, but shyly avoided eye contact. Her fingers still tingled from the warmth of his hand.

"Any time." Darien swiped the card across the lobby door, gaining entry. "Does that mean we're even on the moustache thing?"

"What?" The defiant spirit rose within Serena as she remembered Darien's horrible prank. "Not a chance, buddy!"

"Oh, well... in that case, you'll be needing this." Darien handed Serena his umbrella and gently walked her a few steps backwards into the rain before striding into the building and shutting the front entrance behind him.

"Wait! Darien!" Serena ran back and unsuccessfully tried to open the door. She silently cursed as he watched with amusement from the other side of the glass door. "Darien, you jerk! I don't have my key card! Darien, let me in!" He slowly crossed his arms and shot her his classic cocky grin.

"Not a chance, dumpling."

* * *

. . .

So, this was a bit of a waffly chapter, and unfortunately, I honestly don't know when I'll be able to post the next chapter. I'll aim for 2-3 weeks time. Fingers crossed! I still need to work on Akai Ito too! Ugh! Creativity, come back! Once again, thanks so much for your patience, dear loyal readers.

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	15. The Troubling Gift of a Little Blue Box

Here's a waffly chapter to tie you over til the next. My winter holidays have ended and I'm starting my last semester of undergrad uni. It'll be intense with two placements, as well as a practical counselling subject and a math-based theory subject, on top of my usual volunteer work. This has been the most unprepared I've been for uni (so much so that I accidentally sat in on the wrong lecture) So please forgive me if my updates aren't regular.

_**Thanks to:**_ sweetthingx3, Sammie, SailorJupiter13, esthealice17, angeljme, Ash, kireisnowtenshi, Jenbunny, NiiNii-sama, Miss Katrina Malfoy, MinnieMoosi, dekita, Jaylonni Love, ScarletL, devilsangels11287, SerentiyMoonGodness, Kelly, CaseClosed621 _**and**_ SailorMoon489 _**for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 15 – The Troubling Gift of a Little Box. 

"Surprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable."  
_[- Jane Austen]_

Serena slowly paced back and forth by the counter of the Crown Arcade. A pensive look spread across her features as she tapped the back of her pen against her lips and stared down at her day planner. The electronic hum and whir of arcade game machines, beckoning her in the background did little to distract the teenage girl from her thoughts.

"What are you doing, 'Rena?" Andrew watched and waited for Serena to inevitably trip over her own feet. As cruel as it seemed, Andrew had had a pretty uneventful day at work and was looking forward to a bit of a slapstick, _à la _Serena. If he just remained patient and waited long enough while watching the distracted girl, sooner rather than later, it was pretty much guaranteed, she would goof.

"I'm trying to plan out the month." The blonde teen responded simply, chewing on her bottom lip. "It's an important month."

"What's so special about October?" Andrew picked up a cloth and wiped down the counter top with disinfectant spray, still secretly waiting for Serena to trip.

Serena stopped pacing and looked up from her planner. "Well, firstly, I have a lot of assessments and exams due in October, but more importantly, your birthday is in October."

"Well, yes, but surely my birthday's no reason to plan the whole month, right?"

"O-Tsukimi happens to fall on your birthday, next month too." Serena sat down on a bar stool, laying her day planner out on the counter in front of her, much to Andrew's dismay.

"O-Tsu-what?" He leaned his elbows against the counter, looking down at the glittery ink scrawling in Serena's diary.

"The Moon viewing festival," Serena began to explain. "It's in honour of the mid-autumn harvest moon. You don't celebrate it, Andy?"

"To be honest, I don't see why I would, Rena. The only thing that I harvest, living in Tokyo, is my grey hair from all the stress-"

"But... it's in honour of the moon." Serena stared up to her older cousin in disbelief. She blinked her widened, innocent looking blue eyes at Andrew and he shrugged in an indifferent manner. Peeling herself off of her bar stool, Serena raised a hand to her forehead, indicating where her tiara would normally be, and performed a Frisbee throwing action.

"Ah, I see. Well, then, Miss Moon, we'll just have a double celebration then, shall we? A rooftop party!" Andrew clicked onto why the occasion seemed so important to his otherwise culturally ignorant younger cousin.

"Sounds great, I'll make the preparations!" Serena gleefully jotted down some notes into her day planner. The lack of activity and general decrease of snarkiness within the arcade eventually drew Serena's attention and she lifted her gaze from her diary and glanced about at the rather quiet game centre. "Where's Señor Grumpy-pants?"

"He doesn't drop by the arcade anymore these days." Andrew responded simply, knowing that she could only be talking about Darien.

"But he used to practically live here." Serena tilted her head to the side, waiting for an explanation. She watched as Andrew's posture shifted. He rolled his shoulders into more of a relaxed slump and flailed his hands about in a manner reminiscent of a teenage school girl.

"I know, it's the strangest thing." Andrew feigned ignorance. "Before he met you, he never came in unless it was an emergency. But then the strangest thing happened, he started coming in every day after he found out practically lived here." The blond man added "But once you moved in with us, he started coming in less often and also changed his regular place of study from the library, to the apartment. I wonder why..."

"Yeah, that's a little weird" Serena scratched her head in thought. "Especially since he's such a creature of habit."

"I know right!" Andrew added in a squeaky gossipy 'So-Cal' voice, before returning to his usual demeanour. "But I'm kind of grateful, I was getting sick of seeing him at work _and _at home. Especially since he only came in to work to brag about something he did to annoy his little dumpling headed angel."

"He said that?" A deep rosy blush crept upon Serena's cheeks as she could feel her ears begin to burn with embarrassment.

"Actually, no." Andrew admitted, "Well, he did come in gushing about you, but I may have made that last part up. But I'm sure the thought was running through his head."

"Andy, why do you always say he likes me, when it seems pretty clear that he doesn't have feelings for me?" Serena raised the back of her pen to her lips, nibbling on it lightly. Andrew took note of her nervous habit and reached for a milkshake glass to prepare a substitute.

"I'm sorry if it makes you feel uncomfortable, Sere. To be frank, I do it mostly because it seems to get under Darien's skin, and after knowing him for almost a decade now, believe me when I say, just about nothing gets under his skin." A sly grin spread across Andrew's lips, but soon died away as he realised that Serena was no longer in a playful mood. Her eyes glazed over as she stared at nothing in particular, lost deep within her own thoughts.

"Do you think he could ever..." Serena's voice trailed away as she realised that she was practically revealing her feelings to Andrew. "I mean... I'm too young but..."

"Love is blind, 'Rena." Andrew garnished the milkshake he had begun preparing earlier with a sprinkle of chocolate flakes and handed it to the wistful blonde, pulling the pen from her grasp. "Sometimes signals of affection can be hard to interpret, especially if you lack the experience to interpret them. Other times blatant ignorance, stubbornness or even fear can affect a person's willingness to fall in love."

"Hypothetically..." Serena tapped on the milkshake glass slowly. "What would you do if Darien and I were in a relationship?" She took a slow slurp from her milkshake and choked slightly, forgetting to stress her detachment. "Not that that would ever happen. Not that he or I would ever want it to."

"Well, hypothetically..." Andrew began to respond in much the same way that Serena had began, "I'd be very concerned and protective of you, because you're still young, 'Rena, and sometimes older guys might want to have a more mature relationship that you might not be ready for. I'd also be worried about Darien hurting you. Don't get me wrong, I think he's a great guy, but he can be stubborn and quite thick headed sometimes. That, and he's socially retarded. When it comes to relationships, he's still pretty green." Andrew paused in thought for a moment. "In fact, I don't think he's ever brought a girl home."

"But he's had girlfriends, right?" Serena's curiosity got the better of her, allowing the question to slip from her lips before she had the time to censor herself.

"You know, I'm not too sure." Andrew drummed his fingers on the countertop for a few moments in thought. "I know he's dated before, but I don't think he's ever been really serious enough to invite a girl home, or introduce any one of them as his girlfriend."

"But he's so old." Serena swirled her straw around in her chocolate shake. The directness of her comment elicited a small laugh from Andrew.

"If he's old, then what am I?" Andrew's chuckles died down into a cheeky smirk "I'm almost two years older!"

"Yeah, but you don't count, Andy. You have Reika. She makes you happy and soon you two will be marred and having half a dozen really cute _'Andreika'_ babies."

"Half a dozen?" Andrew laughed incredulously, "Where are you getting your information fr-?"

"A Dozen then?" Serena interrupted, "Maybe two dozen?" She watched as Andrew continued to laugh, an uncharacteristic crimson hue staining his cheeks.

"Anyway," Andrew shook his head, shifting the topic of conversation back on to his friend, "Darien's always super secretive about matters close to his heart. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if he came home one day and announced that he's engaged and is getting married tomorrow, but as far as I know he's single at the moment." A silent moment passed between the two as they both sat in quiet contemplation. "Darien really needs somebody to melt away that icy cynicism of his. I hope he opens his heart up to someone soon."

"I hope so too..." Serena murmured quietly into her straw.

* * *

The days fluttered by in a flurry of Autumn showers and blustery leafy gales, but the nights of October were still, warm and humid, like the stickiness of cotton candy, left for too long at the bottom of the bag. The large, golden harvest moon rose heavily into the night sky, illuminating Andrew's twenty-third birthday party on the rooftop of their apartment. He spent most of the night with a broad grin plastered across his face, in the company of his beautiful girlfriend and many of his friends and colleagues, enjoying the finger food and nibbles that Serena had prepared.

"'Rena, did you make these dango dumplings yourself? They're so tasty" Reika rejoined the small group of Andrew's friends who were happily praising Serena on her efforts in regards to throwing the party.

"I wish." Serena giggled sheepishly. "I tried, but I failed miserably, so these are store bought."

"Oh, I think I had a dango recipe at home that my grandmother gave to me. I still haven't tried making it yet, so if you like 'Rena, I can bring it over and we can try it together." Reika offered and watched as the petite blonde girl's eyes lit up almost brighter than the moon.

"I would love tha-"

"Speaking of dumplings," Darien smiled, seeming to appear out of nowhere. "I'm going to whisk this one away for a little while, if that's Ok" He gave another polite smile before pulling Serena away by the elbow. Serena frowned slightly as Darien dragged her away to a slightly quieter area of the rooftop, where he simply stood and stared at her with a slight smirk.

"What is it?" Serena's eyes shifted back to the crowd for a moment. Darien continued to stare silently, smiling, seemingly at his own inner joke. "Did I say something wrong before?" She glanced away momentarily once again, feeling suddenly uncomfortable under Darien's watchful gaze. "Is there something on my face?"

"No." Darien replied simply as he slowly reached into the right pocket of his slacks and produced a little navy blue box.

"Wait..." Serena gasped slightly at the sight of the box. "You're not... I mean... Is that?" her hands wrung together nervously as she continued to alternate her gawking between Darien and the little blue box in his hands.

Andrew's words haunted her. _"Sometimes older guys might want to have a more mature relationship that you might not be ready for."_

"I... I can't! It's too soon. I'm not ready for this!" A bright shade of deep crimson stained Serena's cheeks and she quickly raised her hands up in an attempt to cover her face.

"What are you talking about?" Darien watched, becoming more and more confused at Serena's reaction. She panicked as more of Andrew's words flooded back into her mind.

"_I wouldn't be surprised if he came home one day and announced he's engaged and is getting married tomorrow"_

"I'm not mentally prepared for this. I-I'm too young!" Serena shook her lowered head. Just at that moment, her cell phone sounded, breaking the air of tension between the two. "I'm sorry, I have to go." With that, she turned and ran down the apartment fire escape, leaving a bewildered Darien behind.

* * *

"Hey, can we talk?" Darien snuck up to Serena and whispered quietly into her ear from behind.

"Can't, sorry, busy." Serena spun around quickly and sidestepped the tall man, striding away as she collected empty cups and plates and began to clean. Darien sighed in frustration before spotting Andrew's cheerful face among a group of his friends. Taking a couple strides of determination toward his friend, he casually stepped beside Andrew.

"I get the feeling your little cousin is avoiding me." Darien murmured quietly so only Andrew could hear. "She's been running away from me and hiding all night."

"Is there any reason she should be avoiding you?" Andrew turned to acknowledge the presence of his friend, who he knew had been stalking Serena all night.

"No, I'm just trying to be nice." Darien continued their hushed conversation. "I swear! All I want is to have a bit of a chat."

A beat passed as Andrew stared down his tall, blue eyed companion, before finally nodding his head, satisfied that there was no malice within Darien's expression. "Alright, well, I'll go tell her to get some more ice from the apartment."

. . .

"Wait, there's no ice left in here." Serena briefly searched through the bare freezer. The sound of the apartment door slamming shut startled her, causing her to jump slightly. "Hello?" She called out.

"Don't say anything." Darien instructed as he quickly marched into the kitchen.

"But-"

"No." Darien covered a hand over Serena's mouth. He felt her body tense up every time he spoke and he couldn't help but scowl, wondering why she was behaving like this. "Just shut up. I bought this for you and you're going to take it." He quickly stuffed the small navy blue box into the girls hand before turning away and walking back out of the apartment, shaking his head and muttering something about crazy teenage girls.

Serena stared down at the small gift box in her hands. Foggy condensation cascaded from the still open freezer and began to pool around her ankles. In a desperate moment of indecision, Serena placed the navy blue box into the freezer and slammed it shut, swiftly pacing to the other side of the room in order to distance herself as much as possible from _that thing_.

Why was she so scared? She had wanted this, right? At first, she had promised herself that she would be content with just having his attention, but then she started to feel something more for him, and in turn, wanted more back. She wanted him to have the same thoughts and feelings towards her, which she had been harbouring for him for the past few months. But most of all, she wanted to hear him say her name; _Serena,_ not Dumpling Head. She wanted to hear those three sweet words slip out of his mouth as he whispered them endearingly into her ear. She wanted to know that she wasn't the only one racking her brains, going crazy over this. She wanted him... but not like this. This wasn't what she had in mind.

Slowly reaching to open the freezer again, Serena sat the blue box down on the kitchen counter. _'I can't open this.'_ She thought to herself. Serena had been gone for more than half an hour now, and wondered if Darien was worried. No matter how much she thought this over and tried to focus solely on her thoughts and what she wanted, she couldn't help but also consider how Darien would feel, or what he would say. _'I want to know what kind of ring he bought.'_ Serena's fingers grasped at the box, but hesitated just before she peeled back the lid. _'What if I like the ring? What if I like it so much I want to keep it?'_ She cringed, shutting her eyes tightly as she lifted the lid of the navy blue box.

Serena stared at the tiny green, white and pink enamel dango balls on a silver stick and sighed in relief. It was a charm for her bracelet. Although she was mostly relieved, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. All this time, she had thought that it was a ring. A symbol of commitment. A sign of some sort that Darien felt something for her. Shaking the ridiculously far-fetched thoughts out of her head, Serena focused on the cute dango charm in front of her. She pulled it away from the box and attached it a few links away from her rose charm, on the bracelet that Darien had previously given to her for White Day. Groaning out loud, Serena smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead. Only then did she realise what an idiot she must've looked like to Darien. She had been avoiding him all night, for no reason. No wonder he seemed annoyed and confused.

Serena skipped over to the front door of the apartment and yanked it open, only to see Reika reaching for the door knob, supporting her slightly tipsy boyfriend with her other arm. "Andy?" She asked, not used to seeing him disoriented.

"Oh hey, Sere. Where'd you disappear to? The party ended just then, everyone's starting to go home." He leaned his weight on one leg, lifting up a hand to his head to rub one of his temples briefly. "Just in time, I say, I have a huge migraine coming on. Darien's still up on the roof doing some cleaning if you want to help him out."

"Uh, yeah." A sinking feeling squelched within Serena's gut as she heard his name. "Sure, thanks."

"We're going to bed..." Andrew mumbled, almost incoherently.

"Goodnight, 'Rena." Reika smiled warmly, dragging her boyfriend into the apartment. "Thank you so much for throwing such a wonderful party for Andrew."

"I hope you had fun, Miss Reika." Serena bowed her head politely before excusing herself, and bolted up the fire escape doors, two steps at a time.

She watched him cautiously for a moment as she felt her heart thumping heavily in her chest from her sudden exertion. He was the only one left on the rooftop, slowly moving about, picking up rubbish under the glowing light of the round lanterns and the moon.

"Hey." Serena meekly announced her presence as casually as she could, given the circumstances.

"Hi." Darien replied in a simple monotone, picking up paper cups and dumping them into rubbish bags. He avoided looking at her, instead, opting to focus on the task at hand.

"Need some help?" Serena didn't wait for a response. She picked up another rubbish bag and began collecting the left over plates.

"Yeah, I guess," Darien shrugged simply. He wasn't sure why he cared so much, but he felt a little hurt that Serena had been going out of her way to avoid him all night, even though he was trying to do something nice for her. "I'm almost done here."

A deep, mutual silence befell the two as they gathered the last of the trash together into a pile. Darien pushed around some of the outdoor furniture, organising it for easy storage, before finally turning off the lanterns, leaving the two of them bathed only in the light of the bright full moon.

Serena was the first to break the silence, "Darien, why-"

"Because you're a dumpling head." He interjected quickly, not waiting for her to ask the rest of her question.

"But why did you get me a gift? It's not Christmas, or my birthday." She watched him pull the lanterns down, packing the paper orbs away carefully.

"It was Andrew's idea," Darien lied, not wanting to sound like he had made any effort. "Because you threw this party for him. It's not a big deal"

"Oh..." Serena's voice faltered slightly as she tried to hide her disappointment. "Well, I guess I'll have to thank Andy tomorrow." Her fingers fumbled with the new charm on her bracelet. "I love it." She admitted with a small smile.

"I picked it out." Darien grumbled quietly under his breath.

"Oh..." Serena barely caught the words behind his sulky tone, "thank you, Darien. I love my new charm."

"Is there any reason you've been avoiding me like the plague all night tonight?" Darien swiftly changed the topic over to what was really on his mind. The tone in his voice indicated that he was quite agitated.

"N-no, you just surprised me with the present." Serena stammered, taken slightly aback by his sudden bluntness. Darien coiled the last of the lights up and packed them into a box. He stepped toward Serena, and for the first time since he left her in the apartment, he looked at her. The breath caught at the back of his throat as he watched her, all traces of annoyance leaving him in an instant. Her gaze lowered in embarrassment as she played with her charm bracelet. The wind picked up slightly, tousling her long golden locks about her. The hemline of her dress flickered against her mid-thigh. He could only make out the silhouette of her face, obscured by the darkness, and he struggled not to reach out to touch her, to bring her out of the shadows and into the light where she belonged. At that moment, a curious thought entered his mind, and he couldn't help but let a small smirk tug at the corner of his lips.

"What did you think was in that box?" Darien raised a curious eyebrow as he waited for her reaction.

"N-Nothi-I... I don't know." Serena shrugged, trying to sound sincere. "Oh, look, the harvest moon is so bright... it's so pretty."

Darien watched Serena turned away. The light of the moon glimmered in her eyes and kissed her face, giving her a soft, pale glow. In the light of the moon, her hair seemed to shimmer silver, making Darien feel nostalgic. For a brief moment, she looked just like the princess in his dreams. Serena turned her head, noticing that Darien was not concealing the fact that he was staring at her. Feeling the blood rushing up to her cheeks, she broke the ice by blowing a raspberry in response. Suddenly her youthful innocence returned to her face as her cheeks flushed a bright scarlet under the light of the moon. Darien couldn't help but smile.

"Happy O-tsukimi, Dumpling Head."

* * *

. . .

So, that chapter was a bit of a non-event, but I wanted to write a chapter that wasn't _all_ focused on our favourite couple, and I wanted to expand on Andrew's relationship with Reika a little more.

In other news, how awesome is it that the Sailor Moon anime is getting a remake! Hopefully Ms. Takeuchi will finally get to make the anime how she always wanted it. It looks like that might result in the end to a lot of those _male_ Seiya x Usagi pairings. Anyway, see you all soon (hopefully). The next chapter shall have another battle!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	16. Darien's Secrets

Okay, this is really bad for me. It's 5am, I've been up all night, and I really should be working on my assignment due in 12 hours. But I'm bummed because I've been caught up in a plagiarism scandal where someone I've been group working with at university copy and pasted chunks of my assignment and submitted it as theirs. _Rolls eyes._ But anyway, thankfully, I'm not getting kicked out of uni in my final ever semester. Don't know about the other person though. But there's a lesson for you: never let anyone anywhere near your work. Ever.

_**Thanks to:**_ CharmedSerenity3, Sylvia, Guest, jupiterfalls, MissTexMex, Jessica, LoveInTheBattleField, Leslie, Miss Katrina Malfoy, angeljme, MinnieMoosi, Usako, devilsangels11287, ScarletL, SerentiyMoonGodness, SailorMoon489 _**and**_ Jaylonni Love _**for reviewing the previous chapter**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 16- Darien's Secrets.

. . .

"Feelings are not supposed to be logical. Dangerous is the man who has rationalized his emotions."

_[-David Borenstein]_

. . .

"So Dar, have you decided who you're bringing to the wedding?" Andrew asked, referring to the wedding of two of their mutual university friends, Keiko and Takato. "You indicated you were bringing a plus one, right?"

"Yeah," Darien ran his fingers through his hair as he rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. He had forgotten all about the wedding, and it was next weekend. "I was only bringing a plus one because Jasmine was there when I opened the invitation, and it seemed rather rude not to ask her at the time."

"Jasmine? The model girl?" Andrew thought back. "She was a stunner, and very sweet too. Whatever happened to her?"

"She never made me laugh." Darien replied simply.

"That's it?"

"That's it." He reiterated. "I just never felt happy around her."

"To be honest, you guys only saw each other for a week and a half, if I remember right."

"And not a genuine smile." Darien added. "I don't think I could stand to be with someone who couldn't make me laugh."

"Man, do you know how hard it is to make you smile, let alone laugh, sometimes?" Andrew tossed a damp dish cloth as his friend. "You're the biggest grump I know."

"It's really not that hard." Darien attempted to defend himself. "And I'll have you know that I smile on a daily basis, thank you very much."

"Only since Serena moved in. Now, _there's_ someone who makes you laugh every day." Andrew slipped in slyly. "Why don't you take her?"

Darien paused momentarily in thought, fully aware of what his best friend was implying. "Girls are complicated, especially when it comes to taking them to things like weddings. They always look into it too much." He thumbed a page of his book, carefully turning it as he spoke in order to look like he was reading. "I'd really rather just go alone."

"Keiko will _kill_ you for ruining her seating chart." Andrew's sing-song voice hinted at a warning.

"Maybe I'll call up Diana."

"You can't keep calling up Di to help you out for little things like these." A sigh of mild exasperation escaped Andrew's lips. "It's not a big deal. Just ask 'Rena."

"Ask me what?"

"Nothing." Darien shook his head, startled at the sudden presence of a certain dumpling headed blonde, and inadvertently turned another five pages of his book. Andrew rolled his eyes and hurled a packet of instant noodles at his friend from the kitchen, smacking him in the shoulder. Darien grunted as he glared up at his best friend momentarily before returning his gaze back down to his book as he spoke. "There's this wedding that Andrew and I are going to next weekend, it's for a couple that we know from university. Naturally, Andrew's bringing Reika, but I..." Darien's voice trailed away for a moment as he contemplated how he was going to ask her. "I don't have a date."

"Bummer..." Serena shrugged apathetically as she reached over the dining table and plucked a red apple from the fruit bowl before turning to walk back to her room. "Sorry, I can't give you any advice on that. I wouldn't have a clue what to do. I've never been to a wedding before."

"He doesn't need advice, Sere." Andrew watched as Darien squirmed restlessly in his seat even though he was trying to maintain a cool outward composure.

"Then what is it?" Serena stopped and looked over her shoulder at her cousin.

"I need... a date." Darien mumbled softly.

"Riiight..." Serena drawled, waiting for more information as she slowly turned around and took a bite into her apple. Andrew chuckled at her naivety. "I guess I can help you look up the number of a few escort services in the directory pages..." Another smirk spread across Andrew's lips as he tried, rather unsuccessfully, to hold back his oncoming fit of laughter.

"No," Darien sat up, leaning forward as he placed his book down on the coffee table. His fingers reached up to massage his weary temples. "I need..." He paused, deciding to rephrase his approach. "I want..." He faltered again. "You-have-to-come-to-the-wedding-with-me."

"I'm sorry, what?" Serena raised an eyebrow incredulously at the man before her.

"I mean, please." The unusually flustered man glanced up at Serena briefly, before breaking eye contact to stare down at the book in front of him, "If... If you want to. Would you be my plus one to the wedding?"

"I've never been to a wedding before." Serena repeated slowly, ignoring Andrew's roaring laughter in the background. "I guess I'll need to buy a dress... I'll call the girls." She responded carefully before retreating back to her bedroom.

The sound of Andrew's laughter could still be heard echoing throughout the apartment. "No wonder you never went to any of the school dances or university functions. You're absolutely pathetic when it comes to asking a girl to be your date." Andrew wiped a stray tear from his right eye. "Who knew that mister suave and mysterious, Darien Chiba had such troubles? Man, you have to tell me when you finally decide to ask Serena to be your girlfriend. I want to be there to see you make an ass of yourself."

"Shut up, Drew." Darien scowled, picking up his book and flicking to a random page as he pretended to read in order to silence his cackling roommate.

* * *

"Hurry up, Dumpling Head!" Darien called out for the umpteenth time as he pounded on the bathroom door. His yelling was answered as the chrome handle of the door turned and it opened slightly. Mina squeezed herself out of the cramped bathroom and pointed a finger at Darien accusingly.

"You!" She raised her finger so it rested on the tip of Darien's nose. "You of all people should know to be patient. We're trying to create a masterpiece in there for you to take on your arm to this wedding, and _you _didn't give us much warning." Mina continued to scold the stunned looking Darien. "Do you know how long it normally takes to find a dress for a special event? At least two weeks or seventeen dress shops. You gave us less than a week's notice."

"I just want to know how much longer it will take. Andrew just left to pick up Reika and they'll be back at any moment. We have to leave in fifteen minutes or we'll be late." Darien pulled away slightly from Mina's condemning finger.

"Is he still causing trouble?" Rei peeked her head out of the bathroom before she too, slipped out of the small room and stood defiantly between Darien and the bathroom door. She whistled briefly noting just how handsome Darien looked, dressed in his black tuxedo. "You look good, Darien, but you're going to have to step it up a notch if you want to be seen as good enough to be Sere's plus one."

"She's _my_ date to this wedding."

"Yep, well, by the looks of things, I don't imagine that you'll be wanting her to be _just_ your date _just_ this once, if you know what I'm saying." Rei winked in an overly exaggerated manner. "Use protection now, we don't want to hear you guys announcing your own little _'plus one' _in a few months time."

"Rei!" Mina playfully swatted at her friend.

"What, it's true!" Rei added defensively "If he doesn't notice Serena by the time we're through with her, then he's obviously missing eyes or a pulse.

"Hurry up, Dumpling Head!" Darien hollered loudly so as to be heard through the door. "I don't have time for this." He grumbled under his breath and sighed in exasperation, massaging his temples slowly in an attempt to relieve his budding tension headache.

"Is this guy still yapping?" Lita peered her head around the bathroom door. "Do you want me to escort him outside?" She watched as Darien flinched slightly and backed away. There was just something about Lita that made him slightly nervous.

"I'll just... I'll wait over there." Darien pointed down the hall, in the general direction of the living room.

"We're finishing up in here" Ami's voice called out from the other side of the bathroom door. "We'll only be a couple minutes if you want to take a seat." Darien nodded to her reasonable sounding request.

"See, that's all you needed to say." Darien directed his mocking tone towards the three teenage girls in front of him, before shuffling to sit down on the couch. Rei blew a raspberry in return. Darien leant back in his seat and picked up the book he had left on the coffee table. He only managed to skim through a couple pages when he heard movement and shuffling coming from down the hallway. The creaky bathroom door opened ever so slowly, and out stepped one golden heel after another. Darien rose to his feet, the book falling forgotten on the floor, as Serena slowly and somewhat unsteadily stepped down the hallway.

She wore a rose gold coloured satin halter dress that reached just above her knees. A row of small sequin and diamante embellishments under her bust accentuated the femininity of the sweetheart neckline cut of the dress, and the ruffle front pleated the fabric of the dress inwards, hinting at the smooth curves of Serena's waist and hips. She had lost her trademark dumpling hairstyle for the day, opting instead for a messy side bun, leaving a few stray strands of her golden locks curled to frame her face. The skin of her face was flawless, as always, but shimmered slightly with a light peachy glow. Every time she blinked, the blushing gold tone of her eye shadow contrasted the light blue of her eyes, making them look like the most vivid of cool blue glaciers. Darien's line of view then slipped lower as his eyes fell upon her lips. Oh, her small, delicate lips which were coated in a shimmering gloss that to him, closely resembled the sweet juiciness of macerated strawberries, so much so that he forced himself to look away so he wouldn't be tempted to pull her close for a slow, tantalising kiss to see if she tasted just how he imagined.

"Well?" Rei pressed as both she and Mina walked down the hall and stood beside the awestruck man.

"Sere..." His voice came out like a soft whisper reminiscent of the sighing of the ocean as it kisses the shore. Clearing his throat, he struggled to find the words to express exactly how he felt. "You... you look absolutely..."

At that moment, Reika walked through the front door of the apartment, with Andrew in tow. "Oh my goodness, Serena? Is that you? You look so beautiful! You girls did such a wonderful job."

"Looks like you missed your chance there, Romeo." Mina smiled as she playfully nudged Darien in the ribs with her elbow.

"Darien," Reika continued, "Doesn't Serena look amazing? She looks like such a fine young woman. You're lucky to be escorting her today."

"Y-yeah." Darien stammered as Serena approached him, slipping a matching rose gold coloured handkerchief into the breast pocket of Darien's tuxedo.

"You don't look so bad yourself." She smiled modestly before her ankle rolled and she fell into his arms. "I'm sorry," She apologised as Darien helped her steady herself again. "It's these heels. I'll probably be tripping in them all night. To her surprise, Darien chuckled slightly and held out his arm for her to take.

"In that case, I'll have to make sure to always be near you today, in case you fall."

* * *

Blushing sakura blossoms swayed and waltzed across the air as they fluttered from the tall cherry blossom trees above. The sun sank heavily across the late afternoon sky, casting long shadows and a golden hue across the sky. The guests arrived promptly and took their seats, watching as the groom slowly paced back and forth in nervous excitement. Serena took her seat between Andrew and Darien and glanced upwards, giggling softly as a sakura blossom brushed across her cheek. She turned her head to toward Andrew to check if he had noticed, but he was deeply engaged in a conversation with Reika. Another cherry blossom skimmed passed her nose and Serena let out another small giggle. Just as she glanced up to admire the colour of the sun kissed blushing trees, Serena noticed Darien out of the corner of her eyes, his gaze fixed upon her.

"Sorry..." Serena began, feeling a little embarrassed to be caught acting so childishly at a wedding. "I'll behave." She lowered her head slowly and stared down at her hands.

"No, it's just..." Darien swallowed the growing lump in his throat as he looked away briefly. He was completely entranced by her, and she didn't even know. Every time he looked at her, something made his heart begin to beat faster within his chest. Clearing his throat, he attempted to buy some time to make up an excuse as to why he was staring at the petite blonde. "You have one in your hair." He reached over and plucked a sakura petal from Serena's hair, handing it to her as proof. She held out her hand and her cheeks began to flush a bright crimson.

"It's... a perfect heart shape." Serena gently caressed the petal in her hands, secretly noting to place her new memento away for safe keeping.

The presence of the wedding celebrant seemed to settle the groom slightly, as they both took their positions on the outdoor alter. An unspoken understanding was shared amongst the guests as their joyous chatter and laughter hushed into a low hum and the string quartet began the first slow notes of Pachebel's _Canon in D_. The guests rose to their feet and all turned to watch the bride walk down the aisle.

"We are joyfully gathered today to witness and celebrate the joining of two lives in marriage." The celebrant began as the guests took their seats. "Keiko and Takato have come together with the sincere desire that the love which brought them to this union may..." The celebrant paused mid-sentence as he clutched as his head. He murmured a few apologetic words as he struggled to continue, barely getting another word out before he collapsed to his knees and cried out in pain.

"Are you all right?" Keiko immediately dropped down to her knees beside him and in the blink of an eye, he transformed in front of everyone. Bokushi the Vulture stood in his place, hurling dozens of energy seeking feathers from his wings which speared the guests, causing many to collapse to the ground, their energy and life force slowly draining away.

"Andy, you have to get out of here!" Serena pushed her cousin towards the aisle. "Take Reika and go somewhere safe, I'll take care of this." Andrew turned his gaze from the petite sixteen year old girl towards the dark haired man beside her. Darien caught the meaning in his gaze as he silently nodded, accepting Andrew's request to protect his younger cousin.

"Be careful." Feeling slightly more at ease, Andrew was more than happy to leave this monster in the hands of Tokyo's two leading super heroes, but just as he and Reika reached for the aisle, a feather pierced his arm and another jabbed Reika's shoulder, causing them both to collapse.

"Dumpling," Darien tugged violently on her arm, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the floor. "Stay down."

"Darien, I have to get out of here." She cringed at how blatantly obvious that statement may have seemed. She shook her head and rethought her plan of attack. "You have to go. Escape while you can. I can't go anywhere with these heels but you-"

"I have to stay with you. I won't let anything happen to you." The sincerity of his eyes sent shivers down her spine. There was something familiar about the way he held her close and shielded her with his body.

"Darien!" Serena's voice came out as a desperate, strained squeal. "Please... just go." Darien pulled back briefly as he looked into her eyes, searching for a meaning behind her irrational behaviour. It took him a few seconds before he realised why she wanted so desperately for him to leave her behind. She couldn't transform in front of him.

"I'm not leaving you," Darien began, reaffirming his stance. "but there's an elderly couple, a few rows back that might need some help. You'll be safe here, right?" He watched as Serena nodded firmly, a relieved look washing over her features. Giving her hand one last reassuring squeeze, Darien ducked away behind some of the chairs, allowing Serena some time to herself, while he too, secretly transformed.

As Zoicite completed the crystal extraction from Bokushi, Tuxedo Mask took that as his cue to make his entrance, flinging a crimson coloured rose to alter the trajectory of the crystal, causing it to fall somewhere among the unconscious guests.

"Shabon Spray!" A dense fog like mist descended upon them. Serena was silently thankful as she reached her hand into the air, calling out her transformation phrase. Thick, magenta ribbons encased her body as she transformed into her alter ego, under the cover and safety of the fog. Meanwhile, Sailor Jupiter had engaged the Shadow Warrior Bokushi in hand to hand combat. Tuxedo Mask cursed as the fog inhibited his vision and his ability to track down the orange rainbow crystal. Zoicite had a tracking crystal, and it would only be a matter of time until he found it and claimed it for himself.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" Sailor Moon held up her wand but to no avail. Mercury's Shabon Spray still hung heavily within the air, making it impossible to see where she was aiming her attack. Groaning in frustration, Sailor Moon waved her hands about her in an attempt to disperse the fog slightly so she could determine her location and could begin to gauge how far away the monster was.

"Why did you transform?" Sailor Mars appeared through the haze. "We had this covered, you're going to ruin the make up the girls and I spent all morning plastering to your face." She reprimanded slightly before turning and pointing behind Sailor Moon. "But now you're here, you might as well direct your attacks to where the monster _actually _is."

"But I can't see anyth-" Sailor Moon barely had enough time to protest before she was taken by the shoulders and hurled half way across the park field.

"Boku-shi! Bokushi!" The Shadow Warrior cried out in delight as he prepared himself to deliver the final blow.

"Crescent beam!" Venus pitched a beam of light from her fingertips as Tuxedo Mask scooped the dumpling headed heroine out of harm's way. She was unconscious, no doubt from the force of hitting the ground after such a mighty strike, and Tuxedo Mask silently cursed himself for being so selfish and wanting to claim the crystal for himself while Sailor Moon was battling the monster. It served to be little comfort to him at this point in time, but at least Zoicite was now gone. Tuxedo Mask shook his head, recalling the unspoken request that Andrew had given him before being attacked. He was supposed to be her protector and he had let her down. He should have been watching; he should have been by her side.

A groggy sounding groan escaped her lips as she opened her eyes, her mascara tinted lashes fluttering up and down slowly at the sight of her masked protector above her. "Where... am I? What happened?"

"Thank goodness you're okay." He sighed in relief, gently placing her down as the dense fog began to scatter. "There's no time to explain, you need to change him back." Tuxedo Mask motioned towards the Shadow Warrior, struggling to escape from the other Sailor Soldiers. Sailor Moon nodded slowly as she struggled to find her feet and raised her Moon Wand into the air.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" She called out with all the conviction she could muster in her weakened state, and transformed the Shadow Warrior Bokushi back into his human form.

As the last of the mist subsided, Sailor Moon collapsed back into the waiting arms of her masked protector. "Thank you for helping me." She offered a weak smile. He raised an eyebrow incredulously at the drained heroine. Even though he hadn't been there to protect her from the monster, she never gave up believing in him. Her faith in him never faltered. He watched as she opened and shut her eyes languidly. The gold shimmer of her eye shadow sparkled as the sun began to set, and although she had transformed into Sailor Moon, her makeup had remained, reminding him of just how much she still looked like Serena. Tuxedo Mask remained silent in thought as his gaze lowered, focusing dangerously on her glossy cherry red lips.

This was his chance to tell her how he felt about her, anonymously. He could get it all off his chest without the fear of being judged or rejected by her. _Maybe, just maybe,_ Tuxedo Mask mused to himself, if he kissed her, he would be reminded of how horrible the sensation was and he could finally rid himself of all the annoyingly persistent thoughts that he was having of her. Maybe then he could go back to simply teasing her in a purely platonic manner and focusing on his University studies. But he knew he was lying to himself. He knew that there was no way he could simply _not_ feel this way about her now, and a kiss would only make it worse.

"You look incredibly beautiful today, Miss Moon." Tuxedo Mask breathed gently against Sailor Moon's neck as he whispered softly into her ear. She shuddered as the feeling of his warm breath dancing along her collarbone sent shivers of electric excitement throughout her body.

"Tuxedo Mask..." She purred in his arms and he smiled, pulling back slightly to stare into her eyes. "Please... don't go yet." Her voice quivered with a frailty that surprised him. She was melting in his arms and he didn't even know. He lifted a gloved hand and gently caressed her cheek for a moment, before letting his hand linger across her neck, resting his thumb endearingly behind her ear as he pulled her in close, wanting to feel her velvety lips against his.

"Ahem!" Sailor Jupiter cleared her throat loudly, sending a small spark of static electricity over to the couple to interrupt their intimate moment. "Don't you have somewhere _else _to be, Sailor Moon?"

"Yeah, you know, like as a date at a wedding? With _someone else_." Sailor Mars reminded.

"We didn't spend all morning glamming you up so you could get carried away with the _wrong _man." Sailor Venus eyed the masked man suspiciously. A small grin spread across his lips as he helped Sailor Moon to her feet, pulling away slowly as he nodded.

"They're right. Your date is probably looking for you as we speak." Tuxedo Mask nodded in the direction of the wedding reception, where groggy guests of the party were beginning to rouse, a little confused, but for the most part, still in high spirits. Sailor Moon was taken aback slightly at his comment, realising that he hinted at knowing who her civilian identity was. "Have a dance with him, for me." Tuxedo Mask smirked once more and leant in to briefly whisper in her ear once more. "And promise me you'll hold him close, Serena."

"You should probably hurry back, Sailor Moon, before anyone notices you missing." Sailor Mercury interjected quickly as Tuxedo Mask turned away from their leader and began to walk off into the distance. After he was a considerable distance away, he turned to glance over his shoulder at the blushing heroine.

"Thanks for the rainbow crystal." He added simply before leaping into the nearby trees and making his quick escape.

"So Tuxedo Mask won the second crystal after all... and he still wanted to kiss me even though he knew who I really am..." Sailor Moon mused to herself before detransforming and rushing back to the reception just in time for the bride and groom to share their first kiss in wedded bliss.

* * *

"Are you alright, Dumpling? You've been a space cadet all night." Darien waved a hand in front of Serena's face, snapping her out of her vacant look.

"Uh, yeah." Serena blinked a couple times, shaking her head to remove all thoughts of her and Tuxedo Mask's almost kiss out of her mind. She nibbled on her bottom lip nervously before lifting a finger up to them, touching them gently, soon falling back into her absentminded daydream. Darien had to suppress his smirk as he held out his hand. He liked knowing that he could have this affect on her, even if it was just his alter ego.

"May I have this dance?" He watched as Serena's eyes widened slightly and she blinked at him in disbelief.

"I... I can't dance, remember?"

"Just follow my lead." Darien smiled gently. "If you really suck that much, we'll just sway." A small pout graced Serena's lips before she took Darien's hand and he guided her to the dance floor. Resting a hand on his shoulder, while the other gently held his, she looked down at her feet and hesitated. "Come closer." Darien gently placed his hand on the small of her back, drawing her closer towards himself. He watched as Serena timidly shuffled in, still looking rather unsure about being so close. "Closer." He repeated, whispering gently as he pulled her in so her body was pressed against his. He could feel her tense up beneath him as she held her breath.

"I... I don't know about this..." Serena mumbled uneasily as her cheeks began to flush a deep crimson. She could feel Darien's right leg pressed up against her left as he nudged it, guiding her into the steps.

"You're the one who wanted to take dancing classes, remember, dumpling?" Darien teased light-heartedly.

"That was... different." Serena pouted as she pulled away slightly to watch her feet. Darien gently lifted up her chin and returned his hand onto the small of her back, applying gentle pressure to close the gap between their bodies once again.

"Eyes up."

"But I keep stepping on your feet."

"Don't think about it." Darien winced slightly as she tread on his toes once again. "Just focus on the music and enjoy the moment." He glanced down at the blonde teen and noticed a rosy pink hue staining her cheeks. Smiling to himself, he took in a deep controlled breath to try and stabilise the erratic pounding of his own heart. A feeling of déjà vu swept across him as his mind clouded over with a sense of familiarity and nostalgia, like he had lived this exact scene before, but only in a dream.

Eventually, each slow romantic ballad seemed to blur together to form one endless song as the couple danced in time, enjoying the feeling of having someone to hold, even if just for the night. Serena's eyelids began to feel heavy and occasionally drooped shut for a moment. She slowly leant her cheek onto Darien's chest as they continued to sway back and forth to the sound of the music. Shifting her hand from his, she placed it beside her face, resting near his heart. She listened for his heartbeat and smiled when she could hear it over the sound of the music. Darien's hands fell to her waist and he held her there, not daring to utter a word, not even to ask if she was tired, in fear of breaking the fragile moment that they were both sharing.

Suffice to say that it wasn't long before the bliss of their own little world was shattered. "Can I cut in?" Andrew happily tapped on Darien's shoulder, glad to see the two were getting along just fine.

"No." Darien snapped almost immediately, leaving both Serena and Andrew slightly taken aback. Slowly, and in time to the music, he swayed and turned his back to his friend, hoping that the gesture would make him go away.

"But..." Andrew blinked a few times, astounded.

"Andrew, what are you doing?" Reika hissed as she attempted to pull her boyfriend away. "Leave them be! Can't you see they want to be alone?"

"Darien?" Serena looked up at Darien and she could have sworn his heart beat began to race beneath her hand. A faint blush crept upon his cheeks even though he tried his hardest to suppress it. Smiling gently, realising just how strange he must have seemed, he reluctantly held out her hand for Andrew to take. Serena briefly glanced over her shoulder at Darien as Andrew guided her closer to the band and began a rather animated conversation.

"I'm sorry about Andy," Reika rolled her eyes.

"It's Ok, I suppose it was naive of me to think that I could keep her all to myself tonight." Darien watched as Serena laughed at something her older cousin said. A small smile spread across his lips as her mirth became contagious. Realising just what he said, Darien deadpanned, a look of panic and embarrassment flashing upon his face as he turned to Reika, alarmed that she seemed to be rather bemused by his slip.

"You really like her, huh?" Reika nudged the taller man playfully on the arm.

"Reika, I haven't even told Andrew-" Darien turned around swiftly, clasping his hands together in a prayer like manner.

"Darien, it seems to me that you haven't even admitted it to yourself, not until just then." Reika let out a small laugh as she observed the uncharacteristically flustered man before her. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me, just as long as you promise me something."

"What is it?" Darien broke the eye contact that he had reformed with Serena, who now swayed in tune to a waltz, on the other side of the dance floor. He turned his head toward Reika, who continued to watch Andrew and Serena happily.

"Just promise me you'll do something about it soon."

"I..." Darien shook his head slowly, a slight pained expression flashed upon his face as he slowly glanced back at the serenely swaying couple on the dance floor, and the blonde beauty that had captured his heart. "I don't know if I can." She watched him from over Andrew's shoulder. Her smile faltered as she noticed the solemn expression on his face. In the one moment, she felt her heart drop to her knees and an icy coldness wash over her. She couldn't explain it, but suddenly, Serena felt as though she was all alone. Like she was grasping on for dear life, hanging off the edge of a cliff, and Darien had just let go of her hand.

"What do you mean?" Reika frowned slightly. She turned to face the tall, dark haired man beside her. His eyes remained firmly fixed on Serena.

"It's complicated." He murmured before letting a deep sigh escape his lips. Placing his hands into his pockets, the fingers of his right hand wrapped around the orange gem that he kept secret. A vision of his silver haired princess flashed through Darien's mind, and he shook his head slightly in a vain attempt to rid himself of the sudden, intense feeling of loss, agony and despair that tore through his heart.

"Darien, it's only as complicated as you make-"

"There's someone else." He interrupted before Reika could finish her sentence. "I can't be with Serena, because I have someone else." He emphasised, and as the tone in his voice died down to a mere whisper, Darien's eyes narrowed slightly. His posture stiffened and a stern frown marred his features. Serena watched from a distance as a change washed over Darien. Within an instant, he was no longer the man she had spent all night in the arms of. He was no longer the man who had held her hand and held her close. She wondered, if she were allowed the chance to be close to him again, to place her hand over his chest, if she would feel the beating of his heart. The light in his eyes had vanished and he watched her with a cool, unaffected, empty stare that she had never seen from him before.

Serena gradually stopped in mid-waltz as she watched him watching her. Ever so slowly, he shut his eyes and drew in a deep breath, savouring the lingering scent of her perfume on his skin. He seared the feel of her warmth and the vision of her radiance into his memory, locking it away in his heart to which he had made a mental note to lose the key to, before slowly turning around to walk away.

* * *

. . .

So, this was a long chapter (yay!) but unfortunately because of high scholar-y demands this semester, _**Summer Rain & Akai Ito are officially on hiatus**_ _**until mid-November**_. Sorry guys, but at least I'm letting you know that I'm disappearing this time (and when I'll be back). Believe me, I want as much as you guys, for these two to just have a spontaneous, crazy, passionate make out session, possibly in the rain, and to just get their feelings out there already... but where's the fun in rushing in to it eh? Oh, Darien keeps getting so close...

Take care and I'll see you all in November, hopefully with a Bachelor Degree and a couple new chapters!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	17. Back to the Start: Andrew's Homeostasis

Hello my lovelies! As many of you already know, I'm back from my hiatus! Yay! Here's the next chapter of the story... there's something large-ish scratching around in my roof o_O

_**Thanks to: **_queen serena chiba, Maria, crescent-starchild09, Claire, kireisnowtenshi, Guest person, A person, Someone, Kaitlink Rose, Perfect Beauty, Guest, Moon Mage Goddess, Lola, moon86, MissTexMex, SerentiyMoonGodness, Usako, Guest, LoveInTheBattleField, stephumz, CharmedSerenity3, Guest, MinnieMoosi, Guest, ScarletL, angeljme, Miss Katrina Malfoy _**and**_ SailorMoon489 _**for reviewing the previous chapter**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 17 – Back to the Start. Andy's plan for Homeostasis

"Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up."

_[- Neil Gaiman.]_

"I don't know what happened." Serena attempted as hard as she could to hold back her tears, but as she spoke, her lower lip began to tremble uncontrollably and her breathing reduced to a set of shallow, erratic breaths. She shivered slightly from the chill of her bare shoulders and legs being exposed. She hadn't been home to change, and was still clad in her rose gold dress. One of her golden heels remained strapped to her foot as the other lay discarded somewhere near the door. Reaching for a tissue, Serena rubbed her eyes furiously, forgetting about the make-up on her face as she struggled to stop the unshed tears forming in her eyes from falling. She had called an 'emergency sailor meeting' soon after Darien had left the party without telling her. The teary tone in her voice indicated distress, and they were soon gathered at the temple, awaiting her arrival with arms wide open and a tub of cookies and cream ice cream. "I wish I knew what I did wrong."

"Did you step on his toes too many t-" Lita reached over and covered Ami's mouth quickly.

"You didn't do anything wrong, 'Rena. You were perfect." She spoke over Ami's muffled protests.

"Yeah," Mina nodded. "Men are just confusing. He probably just got a little overwhelmed and felt that he was falling too hard and too fast, so he's probably just trying to sort himself out. Guys do that a lot." Mina continued to nod her head more and more vigorously, as though she was the one becoming more and more convinced by the words she was saying. "Just when you think things are getting good, BAM! They emotionally detach."

"Maybe Reika said something to him?" Rei suggested in quiet contemplation as she shuffled over toward Serena with some make up remover, attempting to help her clean her teary mascara panda-eyes.

"Miss Reika's on our team," Minako shook her head in protest, "She wouldn't have said anything to make Darien turn on 'Rena like that. He's just an ass-hat, like 98% of all the other men out there."

"Maybe you could just ask him." Ami added in quietly. Serena nodded slightly, even as Ami's suggestion became drowned out by the sound of Mina's loud, flamboyant objections.

* * *

Darien rolled the Orange Rainbow Crystal about in the palm of his hand and watched as the moonlight passed through it, causing the crystal to twinkle merrily and scatter shards of light about. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a lone figure walking slowly down the street. Her long golden hair tousled like a curtain about her as she placed one slow step in front of the other. She held the straps of her high heels in one hand, as the other struggled to pull up the top of her rose gold dress. Eventually, she turned into the apartment complex and he lost sight of her. Darien placed the orange gem into his pocket and waited in the darkness.

He listened as the mechanisms of the front door lock turned and she gained entry. Tossing her heels to the side, Serena reached for the switch near the door, flooding the entrance way with dim light.

"What are you doing home so soon?" Darien turned around slowly, leaning his back against the balcony railing.

"I could ask you the same question." Serena squinted as she looked about the apartment, struggling for a moment to decipher where his voice was coming from. She settled upon a figure, dimly illuminated by the light of the moon, standing on the balcony. She stepped into the apartment and waited for her eyes to slowly adjust to the darkness before cautiously approaching him.

"Did you walk home alone?" He attempted to feign ignorance, but the concerned tone in his voice betrayed his feelings.

"Yeah, a funny thing happened," Serena, on the other hand, was more than happy to allow the sarcastic tone in her voice to pierce through the air. "I was having a really good time being this guys 'plus one' at a wedding that he practically begged me to go to, and then he just disappeared. He just left me there without telling me where he was going, or why. Or that he was even leaving."

"You should have waited for Andrew." Darien responded flatly. He didn't approve of Serena's cynical tone, it wasn't like her at all, and he wanted her to know just how he felt about it.

"I'm tired." Serena sighed slowly. It was exhausting for her to stay mad at him, and even though she wanted to, she knew that she just couldn't. More than anything now, she was just disappointed and confused. "I just want to go to bed." Her voice cracked slightly as she turned her head to hide her face.

"You shouldn't have walked home by yourself. Especially not looking like that, through the city, at this time of night. It's dangerous out there." Darien pressed on.

"Well, I didn't think my chaperon was going to just up and leave without giving me any reason or warning." Serena pushed herself away from the balcony, wanting at that moment to just slip away into the darkness. Darien watched her out of the corner of his eye. He could feel the emotional distance between them growing larger, and for a brief moment, he felt as though she was going to disappear and vanish, forever. Instinctively, he reached out to grab hold of her hand and pulled her toward him to stop her from leaving. As he did, the image of a white balcony and his princess played in his mind and he winced painfully as his fingers instantly released hold of her wrist. It felt as though her touch seared his flesh. Pushing through the aching feeling of his heart, and the burning sensation on his hand, he reached his hand over, ignoring the protests from his body not to touch her again, and lifted Serena's chin, so that she faced him.

She tried to pull away, struggling to shift her gaze onto something, anything else. He watched painfully as she tried to blink back newly forming tears.

"Sere..." He whispered gently as he wiped away one of the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes with his thumb. "Please don't..." he struggled to keep his expression unaffected and cold as he watched her resisting against him, trying to pull away. "not for me."

"I'm not crying because of you, Jerk!" Serena pushed against his chest and turned around to look away. "I'm just tired and have got dust in my eyes from walking home."

"Sere, we have to go back to the way things were before." Darien persisted. "Back to when you still hated me. Things were a lot more simple and easier then."

"Then stop calling me that." Serena interjected. "Go back to calling me Dumpling Head, and being a complete jack ass. Go back to not sitting next to me when we watch a movie together. Go back to not letting me win every second time we play a video game. Go back to not being sweet and asking me to dance with you then holding me close all night. Just go back to being the horrible jerk you were when we first met, when I threw that test paper at your head."

"Fine." Darien nodded simply, although it was difficult for him to remain completely unaffected by her words and the emotion in her delivery. There was something in the tone of her voice that yanked violently at his heart and made it hard for him to think clearly and rationally all of a sudden.

"Fine." Serena repeated as she took a deep, jagged breath, attempting to keep her emotions in check. Slowly, she lifted her head and tried to smile her most genuine smile even though new tears misted her baby blue eyes. "I mean, come on." She began, forcing a chuckle. "How big must your ego be for you to think that tonight had changed anything between us." She turned away and stepped through the balcony door. "There's no way I'd ever like you, Darien Chiba, and if you were _trying_ to make me fall for you tonight, then your A-game needs quite a bit of work."

And with that, she silently stalked down the hallway and into her bedroom, leaving Darien to ponder whether she was trying to cover up her emotions, or if she was leaving him with a challenge.

* * *

"Heeey, there buddy." Andrew slid up to the kitchen counter with that look of predetermined planning plastered all over his face. It had been a couple weeks since the wedding, and the air between Darien and Serena had been awkward to say the least. Other than the polite pleasantries when passing in the hallway, and superficial dinner table talk, neither one had really made an effort to speak to the other. The tension in the apartment was beginning to become unbearable.

"What's up?" Darien briefly glanced over at his strange, suspicious friend.

"I can just imagine how sad your bank account must be looking these days, what with birthdays and wedding gifts... So I, Andrew, the most wonderful, caring best friend that I am, have come to help you out!"

"No." Darien responded flatly as he rinsed a bunch of spinach under the tap.

"No what?" Andrew leaned against the kitchen counter, looking up at his friend who continued to prepare dinner. He knew that the best time to ask a favour from Darien, was when he was cooking. That way, he would be stuck in the kitchen, with nowhere to run away to.

"No to whatever you're about to try to get me to do." Darien refused to give Andrew the satisfaction of even acknowledging his pathetically attempted puppy-dog look.

"But you haven't even heard what I'm about to say."

"I know, but whatever it is, I don't want any part of it. I know your scheming face when I see it." Darien continued to deflect Andrew's pleas as best as he could while still cooking dinner.

"Just hear me out at least." Andrew persisted.

"No."

"OK, well..." Andrew continued undeterred. "I know how much you enjoyed that semester of Psychology electives you had and-"

"No." Darien cut his friend off once again. "I'm definitely not doing it now. You know where I stand on that. Psychology is _not _a science."

"But it pays well! Look, all you have to do is mediate an anger management class. Just one. One of my colleagues has to go away this week and needs someone to watch over her peer support group. It pays $130 an hour and the session is supposed to go for 2 hours."

"Why don't _you_ do it then?" Darien raised his eyebrow curiously.

"Believe me, I would. That money would go very far when it comes to saving money for my and Reika's Paris trip, but unfortunately, I'm already working tomorrow and it's too short notice to swap shifts. But if you could do that, I'm sure it'd look good on your resume, and I'll even shout you a nice dinner at Restaurante Luna afterwards."

"I guess I can do it then." Darien glanced over at his best friend once again before hesitating. "I just don't see why you have to be so shady about it."

"Great! I'll let them know... and look at that, we can cross this off your list once you're done!" Andrew pointed toward item number one from Darien's list; _Take anger management classes_. "How about that, eh? Bet you never thought that one would be crossed off!" Andrew grinned happily before turning and whistling his way out of the kitchen and down the hallway to Serena's room.

"He's up to something..." Darien frowned and grumbled under his breath.

. . .

"Heeeey, there Sere! What are you up to, my favourite little cousin?" Andrew stealthily slipped into Serena's bedroom, startling the girl into sitting upright on her bed.

"Just... studying." The petite teen composed herself just in time to smear a small, innocent smile across her face.

"Right, studying..." Andrew rolled his eyes playfully as he reached over and pulled the manga magazine out from behind Serena's math textbook.

"Please don't be angry Andy I just-"

"It's OK, Sere." The older man took a brief look at the manga title before slipping it back behind the textbook.

"It... it is?" Serena frowned slightly. It was really cool staying with her older cousin and being away from strict parental discipline, but at times, Serena began to question Andrew's methods.

"Sure!" Andrew shrugged his shoulders casually "Just as long as you do one thing for me."

"Umm... I guess..." It was difficult for Serena to read his expression. " It depends on what it is." She wasn't very experienced when it came to manipulation, but if she had to say so, she would've noted that there was something undoubtedly slimy about Andrew's approach.

"Oh it's easy, I promise!" The way his tone increased in pitch as he waved his hands about reminded Serena of a seagull, scouting for a feed. "And you can even cross out one of your New Year's Resolutions if you complete this successfully."

"What, really?" Serena was hooked at the mention of her New Year's list. She lit up in excitement, knowing that it had been months since she managed to cross something off of her list, and she only had 2 items left. "What do I have to do?"

"One of my friends at University needs a model to help her with her arts assignment." Andrew was quick to the point. "All you'll have to do is dress up in a costume and pose for her while she draws your portrait. She would really appreciate it and I'm sure it counts as volunteering your time to help others."

"That sounds like fun!" Serena rocked back and forth on her bed in excitement.

"Great! And I'll even shout you dinner at Restaurante Luna afterwards." Andrew added.

"You had me at dinner." A broad grin spread across Serena's features as her eyes glistened with a sparkle only reserved for the mention of food.

"Great, well it's at the university. Here's a map." Andrew pulled out a crumpled slip of paper from his back pocket. "I told her you'd meet her outside the Arts building, next to the Psychology laboratory. I finish my shift at 6 tomorrow. Once you're done at the Uni, I'll meet you at Restaurante Luna for dinner." And with that, Andrew strolled out of Serena's room with a new found sense of relief.

* * *

"So, I just stand like this?" Serena glanced up at the male model with his arms wrapped around her waist. His hazel eyes met her blue ones and he smiled at her flushed expression. "Miya, do we have to be this close?" She glanced down at the art student who was busily arranging the train of Serena's white silk dress about them.

"Yes, please don't move Serena. I'm just adjusting the draping of your dress, and I'll fix the placement of your sword and cape, Kyle, and then we'll get started on the preliminary sketch."

"I'm sorry if I make you feel uncomfortable." Serena's modelling partner, Kyle apologised gently.

"Oh, no no." The timid teen blushed as she stared up at the tall man before her. Her hand trembled nervously on his chest and she couldn't help but feel weak at the knees as he smiled at her. The way his ruffled dark hair tousled gently in the light breeze and how he held her, with his cape wrapped around them both, it reminded her vaguely of Tuxedo Mask. His hazel eyes mesmerised her. Try as she might, she couldn't tear her eyes away. This made her even more nervous and self conscious. "It's not you..." Serena's voice trailed away as she looked down in embarrassment. "It's just, well, we're so close. If I had known that we'd be so close for so long, I would have had a breath mint or ten." Kyle and Miya both laughed wholeheartedly at Serena's honesty and innocence.

"I think I'm ready to begin. Please hold still now." Miya paced over to her canvas and picked up her charcoal.

. . .

"Go on..." Darien stifled a yawn as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"...at the time I was so mad, I felt like throwing the can I was holding at his face!"

"And what did you do Peter, to manage the situation?" Darien urged on as he sat with the other anger management clients in the circle.

"I acknowledged my feelings of anger and allowed myself to feel angry, but I also remembered that violence was not an acceptable way of handling the situation, so I counted backward from ten and controlled my breathing. This allowed me to get past the worst of my anger so I could start thinking a little more rationally about what he was saying."

The sound of laughter from outside the counselling room pierced through the air, and Darien frowned slightly to himself. Was someone listening in? Were they watching? This was a private and confidential session! Darien rose to his feet and shuffled over to the window.

"Serena?" Darien practically pressed his nose up against the window, trying to get a better view. "What is she doing here, and why does she look like the princess?"

"Who's that?" One of the clients asked curiously as she followed Darien to see what all the fuss was about. "They look like a cute couple." Her comments, coupled with his seemingly ever-more-broodier-by-the-second air elicited curious murmurs and shrugs from the peer support group, who slowly made their way to the window for a better view.

"They're not a couple." Darien watched under furrowed brows. His hands slowly curled into fists as he watched the male model pull Serena in closer to his body. She glanced up at him and smiled bashfully.

"Are you sure? 'Cause they look pretty cosy to me, Doc." Another client added.

"Yeah," added another. "They might not be a couple now, but I bet ten bucks that they will be by the end of the day."

"I'm not a 'Doc' and they're not a couple." Darien ground out through clenched teeth as he watched the male model gingerly take one of Serena's hands and lifted it up to his lips.

"Is that...? Do I detect the green-eyed monster rearing its ugly head?" Peter asked, nudging the peer support leader playfully in the side.

"Is this an emotion that we need to explore further before it turns into one that may be a little more dangerous or destructive?" Another client piped up beside Darien, earning himself a glare for his efforts.

"This is ridiculous," Darien stormed away from the window. "I'm not doing this with you all."

"Avoidance and total denial is not a useful technique for coping with anger, Doc."

"I'm not angry!" Darien slammed his fist down on a nearby desk in frustration.

* * *

"Good evening, I have a reservation, it should be under Furuhata." Serena smiled cheerfully.

"Ah, yes, follow me please." Serena followed the suited hostess as she was escorted to her table. She looked around the impressive restaurant, taking in all the grandiose embellishments. Low lighting gave a warm ambiance to the classically designed dining hall.

Darien tapped his fingers impatiently as he waited for his friend to arrive. He had been to Restaurante Luna twice before, both times on dates. To be honest, he thought that meeting Andrew here for a dinner reservation was a little but much, as it was seen as one of the more romantic eateries in town, but he had been craving the linguine for a while now.

"Here you are, Miss." The hostess smiled and bowed slightly before lighting the candle at the centre of the table.

"Dumpling?" Darien's eyes roamed down her figure as he couldn't help but to notice how mature she looked dressed in a long, floor sweeping dinner gown.

"Oh," Serena's cheeks flushed a lighter shade of pink as she looked around. "There must be some mistake." She reached for the hostess whist still searching for her cousin.

"No, no mistake, Miss." The hostess smiled and handed Serena a note. "Mr. Andrew told me to give this to you once all parties had arrived." Serena unfolded the note as she sat down on the chair across from Darien.

"What has he done now?" Darien crossed his arms expectantly.

_"Dear Darien and Serena,_

_Thank you both for helping me today. Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances out of my control, I am currently unable to join you both for dinner tonight. Not to worry though, I've kept my promise and dinner will be charged to my credit card at the end of the night. Meanwhile, why not order what you like and simply enjoy each others' company? Don't stay out too late, now!_

- _Andrew_"

"Well," Darien shrugged slightly as Serena folded the note and placed it down on the table. "I don't know about you, Dumpling, but I've suddenly developed a craving for lobster to go with my truffle linguine."

* * *

"Hello, Peter?" Andrew answered his cell phone. "How did everything go?"

"Your experiment went according to plan, Mr. Furuhara. We manipulated the stimulus variable and achieved the desired response from the subject. In fact, the target behaviour response was achieved much sooner than your hypothesised time limit." Peter relayed the results of the behavioural experiment.

"That's excellent!" Andrew struggled to contain his laughter.

"Although, I have to bring up that it seemed like anger might be a confounding variable to your target behaviour of jealousy."

"No no, that's perfect. That's exactly what we wanted." Andrew reassured. "You guys are the best bunch of psych students ever. Well done and thanks for helping me set up the experiment with the other confederates too. I'll talk to my supervisor about getting you that course credit."

"Great, thanks a lot! It was a pleasure helping you out. I'll see you at university next week." And with that, the line cut out.

Andrew sighed in contentment as he leaned back on the couch in front of the television in the quiet apartment. Changing the channel over to _Iron Chef_, he crossed numbers 4: _'Volunteer and help others'_, and 5: _'Go on my first romantic date with a cute guy' _from Serena's New Years Resolution list, as well as number 1: _'Take anger management classes'_from Darien's list. Smirking to himself, he placed both lists back down onto the coffee table before digging around his box of noodles with his chopsticks.

* * *

. . .

There's another chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it. It's great to be back in the swing of things, and hopefully I'll have another chapter out next week. I know, I know... I keep messing with Serena and Darien's relationship... but this is going to be a pretty long story... I don't think we've even hit the half way point yet, but the way I see their relationship at the moment is, well, like the phases of the moon; sometimes waxing, sometimes waning, and as complex as a thousand year old relationship should be with various alter egos, personalities, motives, and secrets. Rest assured the next few chapters will generally be waxing moonies and cuter. Thanks for reading and reviewing ^_^

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	18. Everyday Life:It's the Little Things Pt2

Hello my gorgeous readers! This chapter is entitled Everyday Life and entails a series of short snippets (not entirely unlike drabbles, but longer) and glimpses into the normal day-to-day activities of our favourite trio.

_**Thanks to: **_Jen, Guest, Missy, UPDATE, animeangel404, Lola-Tenshi, Guest, K. Le-i-gh. B, MinnieMoosi, Noshi, Kaky-Ventrue, twiggirl06, stephumz, moon86, rinny, Guest, SerentiyMoonGodness, Colanna, angeljme, devilsangels11287, buttaflykissesxoxo, Miss Katrina Malfoy, LoveInTheBattleField, SailorMoon489, Guest, **_and_** MissTexMex_** for reviewing the previous chapter**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 18 – Everyday Life: It's the Little Things Pt 2

"We do not remember days, we remember moments."

_[-Cesare Pavese.]_

**Sleeping Beauty**

"Dinner's almost ready; can you go get Serena for me?" Andrew began plating up. Darien nodded, stepping down the hallway. He knocked on her door gently and called out.

"Yo, Dumpling Head, dinner's ready." He received no response from her. "Dumpling?" Opening the door, he was surprised to see her lying sprawled across her bed, her towel still wrapped around her body to preserve scraps of her modesty, but she was otherwise naked and fast asleep. Shutting the door behind him, Darien took a couple deep breaths to try to eliminate the rosy blush currently staining his cheeks before walking back to the kitchen.

"Where's Sere?" Andrew leant over the kitchen counter, looking down the hallway.

"She's asleep." Darien sat back down on his bar stool.

"You should probably wake her. She won't be happy if we have dinner without her again." Andrew shuddered at the recollection of Serena's wrath, the last time she almost missed a meal. The tears, the tantrums, the loud incessant tummy grumbling, the desperate (almost) phone calls to child protective services, and even scarier, the call to Andrew's mother. "I'd really rather avoid seeing Serena '_hangry'_ ever again if possible."

"Yeah... I think I'll leave waking her up to you." Darien shrugged, reaching over to munch on some leftover lettuce. "She's fallen asleep, fresh from the shower. Naked. With her towel barely wrapped around her." He informed "I don't know how happy she'll be to see me hovering around her when she's... umm... you know... vulnerable."

"Right, you..." Andrew waved around his wooden spoon accusingly, spraying about bits of salsa. "You're forbidden from entering Serena's room, forever."

"What-" Darien was slightly taken aback by the seemingly unwarranted instant change within his friend's demeanour.

"Banned!" Andrew emphasised, slamming the spoon down onto the kitchen counter before asserting his alpha male dominance by loudly stomping toward Serena's room.

"What did I do?" Darien scratched his head in complete and utter confusion.

"I SAID BANNED!"

* * *

**Sound Reasoning**

"Okay, so to simplify that equation, you want to deal with the stuff in the square brackets first." Darien explained, tapping the back of the pencil down on the math sheet.

"Right." Serena nodded with determination.

"So what would be the first step here?" Darien pointed to the part of the equation that needed to be addressed first.

"Get rid of all the _logs_ in the square brackets." Serena drew lines through each 'log' in the equation.

"No no, because it has a minus there, you need to divide the_ log_ numbers in the parentheses." Darien explained.

"But there are 4 _logs_, don't they just cancel each other out?" Serena frowned.

"No."

"Well that's stupid." The teenager was starting to become impatient and hungry. "Did beavers write these math equations or something? What's with all the _logs_? Were they lumberjack beavers?"

"Focus, dumpling, What could you do with _log_(42) -_ log_(6)?"

"Build a cabin?" Serena shrugged unenthusiastically. Darien exhaled loudly as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"No."

* * *

**The Usual**

Darien casually leant back against the brick wall of the Red Rose Café. The cool Autumn air whipped about him signifying a change in the seasons and making this night particularly chilly. Gone were the chocolate sundaes and slushies of Summer, back to the usual warming hot chocolates of fall and winter.

"How was work, Dumpling?" Darien watched as the blonde teen skipped out of the restaurant with a broad grin on her face.

"Great!" She smiled, gingerly accepting her warm beverage. The two began their usual walk back to their apartment. "No mixed up orders and no broken plates. Happy customers all 'round!" She took a small sip of her beverage and cringed slightly. "This isn't hot chocolate."

"It isn't?" Darien glanced over at Serena's paper cup briefly, before observing his own. "Oh, maybe you have my order."

"What is it?" Serena opened the lid of the cup, letting the fragrant cinnamon scented steam escape as she inhaled deeply.

"It's a Chai Latte." Darien held out his hot chocolate. "Here, let's swap."

"No no." Serena shook her head. "I like it. It's different." She smiled, placing the lid back and taking another sip. "It reminds me of Christmas, and donuts."

. . .

Darien rushed around the corner, each of his hands burning as he clutched onto the two hot beverages and paced as fast as he could toward the Red Rose Café. There, he spotted Serena, standing patiently outside, her coat firmly wrapped around her.

"Sorry I'm late." Darien apologised, handing a drink to Serena. "Were you waiting long?"

"No, I just got out a minute ago." Serena shook her head as she tried to cover up her lie and took the warm cup from Darien's hands. She took a small sip of her beverage and groaned as she scrunched up her face in distain. "Blergh! Coffee…" The petite blonde held out her cup, immediately exchanging it for the one in Darien's grasp.

"Oh, sorry." Darien smiled sheepishly. His cheeks flushed a deep crimson as he looked down at his coffee cup. Lifting it up to his lips, he savoured the sweet taste of cherry lip gloss, followed by the familiar warmth of coffee. His two favourite things in the world. Needless to say, Darien drank down every drop of coffee in that cup and suffered the consequences. He didn't sleep until 5AM in the morning, but at least his plan worked this time.

* * *

**Nag**

"Andrew Furuhara!" Serena shrieked in annoyance. "This is the third time this week, I've told you pick up your socks!"

Andrew lowered his gaze in embarrassment as his younger cousin scolded him. It was uncanny how much she sounded like his mother.

"I don't know if it's a guy thing or if it's just a lazy thing…" Serena continued on her tirade, picking up stray socks with a grabbing claw and lumping them all into a pile to be taken down to the laundry. "There's even a pair out on the balcony!"

As Serena stepped out on the balcony to pick up the socks, Darien followed her and slid the balcony door shut behind her, locking it for extra emphasis.

"Hey!" She called out, banging her hand on the glass door. "Open the door!" Serena watched, becoming even more infuriated as Darien sat back down on his spot on the couch and resumed reading his textbook. She became completely livid when Andrew walked past and gave him a high-five.

* * *

**Master Chef**

"Dumpling?" Darien cautiously tip toed through the threshold of the apartment. "Is everything ok?" he called out, waiting for her response.

"Yeeep." Serena sniffled from the kitchen. Pots and pans lay strewn across the hallway. A lone tomato sat by a small mound of flour on the floor near Andrew's sneakers. Darien slowly manoeuvred his way through the battlefield, toward the kitchen.

"Have you finished making dinner?" He asked, bending down to pick up the sticks of uncooked spaghetti, strewn across the ground.

"I haven't started yet." Serena confessed, wincing as she wrapped a bandage around her thumb.

"But it's nearly six-thirty." Darien placed his university notes down on the dining table. "And the kitchen looks like a bomb exploded in here, what have you been doing all afternoon?"

"I was making spring rolls for an entree." Serena looked about her at the sad state of the kitchen. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. Quietly noticing the cluster of bandages wrapped around Serena's fingers, Darien cleared some space on the kitchen counter. Flicking the switch on the stove top, he filled a saucepan full of water and placed it over the heat to boil. He slowly eased the knife from Serena's grasp and replaced it with a pack of noodles.

"You handle the noodles, and I'll help with the salad, Okay?" Darien began to swiftly slice through the head of lettuce. Serena nodded in appreciation. She was starving and her ambition had gotten the best of her. Darien held out a wedge of tomato for Serena to snack on. She smiled up at her saviour. He seemed to know exactly what she needed, at exactly the right time.

* * *

**Superstar  
**

"Yooooou're here, there's noooothing I fear..." Serena belted out her best rendition of the 90's pop power ballad. Unfortunately, she failed to recall that the bathroom was not soundproof, and also didn't realise how little the noise of gushing water from her shower would muffle her tone-deaf screeching.

"Dear lord..." Andrew began his morning prayer ritual.

"Does she _still_ not realise that we can hear her?" Darien poured himself another cup of coffee in hopes that a sugar and caffeine kick would help him get through the morning.

"Weeeeee'll staaaay, foreeeever this waaaay..."

"What I want to know is whether or not she hears herself when she sings." Andrew cringed as Serena conducted an impromptu key change half way through the verse.

"Why did I agree to allow a teenage girl to live under the same roof as me?" Darien drew out a long groan into his mug.

"And I know that my heart will go oooonnn and ooonnn."

"Why must her showers go on and on!?" The dark haired man smacked his head against the kitchen counter in protest.

* * *

**Hero**

**Han·gry** (haNGgrē) _adj: _the irrational irritation one gets when he or she is hungry

Serena's stomach grumbled out loud in class. She winced, coughing loudly to try to hide the fact that she was starving. She had missed breakfast this morning because she was running late. After staying up most of the night to finish off a last minute essay, Serena reset her alarm, hoping to gain an extra half hour of sleep. Unfortunately for her, she had unknowingly set it for PM instead of AM, and the alarm failed to sound at all.

Knowing that there were limits to the amount of times she could cough out loud in class without arousing too much suspicion, Serena reached over into her book bag and pretended to rummage through it, scrunching up sheets of paper in a futile attempt to try to cover up what she felt was going to be a particularly loud tummy grumble. To her surprise, her fingers wrapped around a small foreign object and she pulled it out for closer inspection. It was a chocolate bar with a post-it note attached.

"_Emergency Hangry Rations"_

Serena smiled as she recognised Darien's handwriting and quietly unwrapped the snack.

* * *

**His Touch**

"Oh, God! Darien, that feels so good." Serena arched her back in complete and total bliss. "No no, don't stop... harder!" Her toes curled in pleasure as she involuntarily shut her eyes, letting herself enjoy the feeling of his hands on her. "I can't believe I've never done this before..."

"Shhh..." Darien leant closer and whispered into Serena's ear. "You're being too loud, people will hear..."

"I can't help it!" Serena pouted. "It feels too good... mmm... a little lower, yes, there!" She sighed in contentment. "People on TV always look so casual and relaxed when doing this, but I can't help but squirm beneath your touch. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that you, of all people, Chiba, could make me feel this good."

"Sere!" Andrew walked into the apartment to find Serena beneath Darien, sprawled on the living room floor. "This is the third time I've walked in on you two like that this week! 'Rena, I can hear you from down the hall."

"I told you." Darien hissed as he pressed his thumbs into the teen's lower back.

"I'm sorry, but my back's been really killing me lately. I need a new bed. There's a spring that keeps digging into my spine..."

"Well then stop sleeping on it." Darien rolled his thumbs over Serena's sore spot, eliciting another moan. "This is the last massage you get until I get one in return!"

* * *

**Ulterior Motive**

"Dar, I'm so glad you suggested take out tonight." Serena patted her tummy as she walked out of the sushi bar, full and content.

"Yeah, well, Drew was supposed to cook, but he had to work late, and I was feeling way too lazy to make something tonight." Darien tucked his hands into his coat pocket casually. "Do you want any ice cream while we're out?"

"Mmm…" Serena thought for a moment before shaking her head. "We still have ice cream at home, right?"

"Uh…" A slight look of guilt washed over Darien's features and he flushed slightly as Serena slumped her shoulders in dismay.

"You ate the whole tub!?"

"Well, you didn't look like you were going to make any moves on it anytime soon... So I ate it." Darien shrugged his shoulders. "It was only a small tub!"

"It was a new flavour! You didn't even save me a spoonful so I could try it!" Serena huffed as she stomped one of her feet on the pavement.

"We can get some more now if you like." Darien tried to settle the scene-making teen.

"No…" Serena frowned, crossing her arms. "I'm too full now."

"You can have it later." Darien added.

"Nah, I don't really feel like ice cream right now. Besides," Serena reasoned, sliding into the passenger seat of Darien's car. "It'll make me fat anyway."

Not an hour had passed since dinner, and Darien and Serena were back at the apartment, slumped on the couch and recliner, respectively, watching television.

"Let's go for a walk." Serena rolled her head languidly to the side to glance over at her dark haired companion.

"Really? Why?" He flicked through a couple channels.

"For exercise of course." Serena turned her attention back toward the television.

"You, Dumpling Head, want to go for a walk for exercise?" Darien sat up in his seat. "Are you being serious?"

"Maybe." Serena yawned. "On second thought, maybe not."

"What was that?" Darien furrowed his eyebrows. "Do you want to go for a walk or not?"

"I was hoping you'd talk me into it." Serena shrugged again.

"But you're the one who brought it up." Darien rolled his eyes, still not comprehending what was going on in the petite blonde's head.

"I know, but I don't actually want to go for a walk… I just want ice cream." Serena barely managed to finish her sentence when she was hit in the face with a cushion.

"We were just out before, and I asked you if you wanted ice cream, and what did you say, Dumpling?" Darien threw another cushion at the blonde.

"Oww!" Serena hurled the cushions back at Darien. "You're not supposed to hit girls." She pouted. "I didn't feel like ice cream before, but then I felt like some now. So I thought we could go for a walk, and I could maybe reward myself with an ice cream cone on the way back… but I'm feeling kinda lazy now, so forget I said anything." Serena slouched back on the recliner again. "This is all your fault for eating all the ice cream and not leaving me a spoonful."

"Alright, Dumpling." Darien stood up, towering over Serena. "Get up, we're going for a walk."

"What- I don't even-" Serena shook her head stubbornly. "Didn't you hear what I just said? I'm too lazy now…" She waved a hand about in a 'shoo' gesture. "You can go if you want, and bring me back some ice cream." Serena turned her body over and snuggled into the recliner.

"I don't think so." Darien scooped up the petite girl in his arms. Serena gasped in shock at how easily he managed to lift her. "This is me talking you into going for a walk." He set the girl down onto her feet. "Put on your sneakers."

Serena sighed in exasperation, but followed his command nevertheless. "Fiiiiiiiine" She drew out, slipping her socks on. As the two walked out of the apartment, Serena noticed Darien's wallet sitting on the kitchen counter. "You left your wallet in the kitchen." She pointed out. "Can't buy ice cream without it."

"We're not getting ice cream, Dumpling." Darien pulled the apartment door shut behind him, checking that it was locked. "_I_ didn't say anything about getting ice cream. _I_ only said we were going for a walk… you know, for exercise. We don't want you looking any more like a dumpling than you already do, right?" He pulled one of Serena's cheeks playfully, eliciting a loud groan and an elbow in his ribs for his efforts.

"Darieeeeeeeen!"

* * *

**Lullaby**

_"Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry, you don't know how lovely you are..."_

It was two-thirty in the morning and Darien lay awake, staring at the ceiling. He listened as Serena's voice cracked with a slight huskiness as she quietly sang to sleep. The song was far more suited to her voice, and the lowered pitch and volume meant that she was better able to control her tone. For once, the sound of her voice while singing didn't make Darien's ears feel as though they were going to begin bleeding.

_"I had to find you, tell you I need you, tell you I set you apart..."_

He closed his eyes and smiled gently to himself as he listened to the pauses between her lyrics begin to slowly and inconsistently increase, indicating that she was slowly, but surely, drifting off to sleep. Parting his lips, he silently mouthed the next few lines in unison with Serena, before falling asleep once more.

* * *

**Domestic Goddess**

Darien reached into his gym bag in search of his apartment key. It was another typical Monday. After his morning at the university, he hit the gym for a quick work out, before heading home. The sound of the vacuum cleaner from the other side of the apartment door indicated to Darien that somebody was home, and doing some housework. The clatter of falling books and ornaments indicated that it was most likely Serena.

"Honey, I'm home." Darien smirked at his own playful comment as he finally managed to open the door and plop his gym bag down in the corner.

No response.

Darien peeked his head around the corner of the kitchen and found Serena, with her back toward him and headphones on, dancing as she vacuumed. Knowing that she couldn't hear him, and had no idea that anybody was home or watching, Darien casually leant against the kitchen pantry door and chuckled to himself as the energetic teen got her boogie on. She could yell at him all she wanted about being a perve later, but for now, until he was caught, he would enjoy sneaking a peak as she swayed and grooved to her own beat.

* * *

**Shopaholic**

"Hey dumpling, I'm going grocery shopping." Darien leaned against the doorway of Serena's bedroom. "Do you need anything?"

"Umm... yes." Serena spun around on her desk chair, "I need some... lady things."

"Right-o. What do you need?" Darien attempted to avoid the slight awkwardness of not knowing exactly what she was talking about, by casually pulling out his shopping list and a pen. He hoped that she would be very specific in what she wanted.

"Can you please get me a 24 pack of ultra thin regular pads, the ones with the little wing tabby things," Serena requested, oblivious to the fact that Darien was jotting down everything she was saying, word for word, with a look of complete and utter confusion plastered across his face. He tried to mentally reassure himself of the fact that he almost had a degree in medical science and was definitely smart enough to figure all this out. "Also, a small 10 or 12 pack of supers and a pack of overnigh-"

"Do you have any names of brands that I should get?" Darien read over the information on his grocery list.

"Uhh... no. I know the regulars are in a blue pack... or was it green?" Serena scratched her head. "The overnight ones are in a purple packet-"

"Okay, how about you just come along with me." Darien rolled his eyes, not at all confident with Serena's instructions.

"Yeah, ok." Serena nodded, reaching for her cardigan.

. . .

"It's cold in here." Serena bounced up and down on the tips of her toes as she rubbed her legs together, hoping that the friction would help her warm up.

"Well, you should've put some clothes on before you left the apartment then, huh?" Darien pushed his shopping trolley with one hand, looking down at his list.

"I didn't think it would be so cold outside. It was sunny this morning." Serena pouted, following two steps behind. She tugged at the bottom of her shorts, trying to magically make them slightly longer. "Besides, you didn't really give me much time to get ready anyway. I had barely started putting my sneakers on when you walk out and left me behind in the apartment.

"I told you we were leaving soon." Darien replied, rather blasé about her whining as he contemplated whether or not he should buy some Camembert cheese.

"Can you just hurry up so we can get out of the cold section?" Serena shuddered, her teeth chattering away.

"Do you want dinner for the next week or not?" Darien snapped back.

"I'm freezing!" Serena stomped as she pouted, gaining the attention of at least one other nearby shopper.

Darien chewed on his bottom lip in an attempt to suppress the small smile forming on his lips. There was just something about the way she pouted at him whenever he pushed her buttons. He just couldn't get enough. "You don't have to follow me around like a lost puppy, you know."

"Well what else am I supposed to do while you shop?" Serena crossed her arms, frowning. "You're so slow!"

"Go and stand by the oven roasted chickens." Darien suggested, nodding toward the general direction of the hot food.

"That's a good idea..."

. . .

"Wait," Darien stopped the check out attendant from scanning the next item "I didn't put that in my basket."

"I did." Serena admitted, waving through the block of chocolate.

"Two bars of chocolate?" Darien raised an eyebrow incredulously as he watched the check out attendant scan another block.

"That one's honeycomb chocolate, the first one was jelly."

"What about that one..." Darien continued monotonously. "and that one... and that one..."

"Cookie crunch, strawberry cream and peanut crumble." Serena's eyes widened with an innocent puppy dog look, hoping she wouldn't have to put the chocolate blocks back.

"Are you seriously going to eat all that chocolate?" Darien watched as the check out attendant scanned bar after bar of chocolate before packing it into the canvas shopping bag.

"Not in one sitting..." Serena began. "Maybe two..."

"And what about that?" Darien pointed to the bag of cheesy bacon crisps currently being scanned by the cashier. "I didn't buy those."

"No, I did." Serena's posture slumped slightly in embarrassment. "That's mine too." She confessed to the tub of ice cream now being scanned.

"Dumpling..." Darien's tone denoted that of mild warning.

"I'm PMS-ing ok!?" Serena pouted once more.

"I don't even know what that means..." Darien swiped his credit card, shooting the sympathetic cashier a look of confusion. "I also don't know how you managed to sneak all that junk into the trolley either, but you now owe me $71.25 in grocery money."

"What!?" Serena hollered in disbelief. "But... but..." her voice cracked as she began to get teary.

"Forget it." Darien sighed in defeat, lowering his gaze as he pushed the trolley of groceries out of the supermarket. "Forget I said anything at all..."

* * *

**Arcade Master**

"Andyyyyy!" Serena tossed the game controller aside as she slumped back on the couch. "You never let me wiiiiin!" She whined in annoyance for the fifteenth time in a row. "Why don't you let me win, just once?"

"I'm sure you've won at least one match, right?" Andrew laughed, a little sheepishly.

"Noooo." Serena pouted, lifting up the tally sheet. "You always beat me at this game… by a lot! Can't you just throw it for me, just once? I'm a broken soul, Andy! Just one time… let your poor yet beautiful, sad baby cousin win…"

"Nope!" Andrew shook his head, selecting his game character with his controller. "If you want to win, you're going to have to earn it."

"Whyyyy?" Serena's agonising whines echoed through the apartment. "You're killing my ego!"

"I'm sorry Sere, but unfortunately for you, I'm your cousin and not your love interest, so unlike _some _people, I have no reason to let you win unless you've earned it."

"But, but Andy!" Serena pouted again. "Don't you want to see me happy?"

Andrew turned to his younger cousin and rolled his eyes. She looked completely pathetic and not at all attractive at that moment. It was a wonder how Darien fell for that look every single time. "Alright, fine." Andrew handed the petite blonde her controller and watched as she selected the same pink puff ball of a character to brawl with. After five minutes of sword slashing and hammer whomping, the battle came to an end and the results flashed upon the screen.

_Ike Wins_

"ANDYYY!" Serena whined even louder than before.

"I'm sorry 'Rena," Andrew laughed wholeheartedly. "You just really suck at this game!"

* * *

**Any Excuse Will Do**

Serena woke up slouched on the recliner with one leg hanging over the arm rest. She yawned and stretched her arms above her head, her hand brushed up against Darien's foot. Sitting up and glancing over at the sofa, she realised that Darien had also fallen asleep watching television. Swinging her legs around, she slowly stood up and reached for the remote control on the coffee table, turning the television off. Serena picked up the throw blanket and unfurled it. Ever so gently, she covered Darien's body with the light covers.

Unbeknownst to her, Darien was actually awake. Serena had woken him up when she accidentally tickled the sole of his right foot while she stretched, but he remained motionless; pretending to sleep, nevertheless. As Serena pulled the throw up over Darien's shoulders, he moaned in his mock slumber, tossing over on to his side. As he did so, he reached over and caught hold of her hand, squeezing it momentarily before relaxing his fingers and returning back to 'sleep'.

Serena smiled at his 'unconscious' intimate touch, little did she know, a small smile tugged at the corner of Darien's lips, too.

* * *

**. . .**

I'm so happy, Summer Rain is now within the top 100 most reviewed and most followed Sailor Moon stories on ff. net! I'm so incredibly grateful! Thank you all so much for your support. I've been around for a while, and I know this fandom is no where near as active as it used to be, so it means even more to me knowing that you guys are still enjoying these stories that I write.

If you're reading this, I would LOVE to know where and how you've stumbled across this story. Was it recommended to you? Were you browsing the new stories page? Did you find this story through a forum perhaps? If you happen to leave a review, please let me know how you found this story and what drew you to it. Thank you, lovelies, and I'll update again in the next week or so!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	19. The Spirit of Xmas: Melting the Barriers

Hi everyone! Thanks for all your reviews and support. Almost at 500! WOOOOOOO! You guys are awesome! Here's the next chapter!

_**Thanks to: **_Usako, lolaa, vievere, rinny, ForeverHalfa, MissTexMex, Guest, Ms. bo. doodle, Guest, twiggirl06, Jessica, Guest, MinnieMoosi, SerentiyMoonGodness, Marcela, LoveInTheBattleField, buttaflykissesxoxo, devilsangels11287, Nessa, CharmedSerenity3, Moon Mage Goddess, Chloecee, Miss Katrina Malfoy, SailorMoon489, ej101, Starrlight1812, AM, stephumz, amethysth _**and**_ Infinity 4 3ver _**for reviewing the previous chapter**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 19 – The Spirit of Xmas: Melting the Barriers

**Snowy Night  
Where it's warm here by the fire  
Here with you  
I have all that I desire  
It's been a long year  
But somehow we got by**  
_[All I Want Is You This Christmas - *NSYNC]_

"I hope you don't mind, Daz. I know it's a huge favour to ask, but it'll only be for three or four days." Andrew clasped his hands in a manner that resembled an eager man, begging for a favour.

"I don't see why not." Darien shrugged. "We've got a decent sized apartment here. I guess it'll be kind of cramped with eight of us all under the one roof, but I'm sure we'll manage. It's family, after all." A small smile graced his features as he continued to wash his cereal bowl. Andrew returned a small, comforting smile and silently nodded his head in grateful understanding. "What?" Darien noticed the poorly concealed look of pity plastered across his friends face. "Don't look at me like that. You know I'm fine."

"I hope so, Dar." Andrew raised a concerned eyebrow. "You know that my family is your family too, right?"

"I know."

"We don't have to do this, you know." Andrew continued.

"I know." Darien repeated monotonously before pausing in thought for a second. "But, it'll be good for you to see your family again. And I'm sure that Dumpling Head would be happy to see her family too, right?"

"Right." A small smile tugged on the corner of all-knowing-Andrew's lips. "It's settled then! But why don't we keep this a secret from 'Rena, eh? I'm sure she'd love the surprise."

* * *

The weeks leading up to Christmas were a blur. As soon as the first day of December rolled over, both Serena and Andrew had begun to enthusiastically embellish the apartment with boxes and boxes of tinsel, fairy lights and other festive decorations, much to Darien's Scroogesque, Grinchy distain.

The eco-friendly plastic Christmas tree was unpacked and assembled in a corner of the room, adjacent to the dinner table. Serena's eyes lit up brighter than the fairy lights and rounder than the golden baubles that she 'accessorised' the tree with. To Andrew's shock and amusement, Darien also decided to lend a hand in decorating the tree. For the eight years that the two men had known each other, there had never, ever been a Christmas celebrated where Darien had helped with decorating the tree.

Silver cut out stars spun, suspended from the ceiling and danced above the dinner table, catching the light and sending beams of rays and the occasional rainbow shimmering across the apartment. Paper snowflakes and little reindeer were scattered around in various places, giving the apartment a warm, festive ambiance. Mistletoe was strategically hung by Andrew from the ceiling, and dangled precariously over the space between Darien and Serena's bedroom doors. The excitement of Christmas hummed through the air.

But as the days blurred into weeks, and the weeks fell away into history, Serena's enthusiasm and Christmas spirit slowly began to dwindle. The pile of anonymously labelled presents under the tree grew to record breaking proportions, and the sound of carollers singing merrily on the frost kissed streets below drifted up from time to time, but Serena seemed to grow ever more sullen and withdrawn. At times, Darien would catch her sitting on the recliner by the window with her knees brought up to her chest, peering out at the grey sky with a vacant expression on her face and unshed tears within her eyes. When he asked Andrew about it, his best friend shrugged and attributed it to the fact that she was probably just missing her family, and that it would be all fine soon enough. But the dark haired man couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else troubling the once bubbly teenage girl.

Every now and then he would approach her with a spare hot chocolate in hand, and make some sort of off handed remark about how all the time that she was spending by the window would give her frostbite, or how, if she wasn't careful, her frown would freeze on her face like that forever. At first, she would force a smile out of politeness, and if he was lucky, she would poke her tongue out in silent retaliation, but after a few more days, it seemed that all the mirth had left her and the light seemed to fade away from her eyes. At that point, Darien no longer knew what to do. He stopped making his weak attempts at playful teasing, and he stopped trying to say things to try to make her feel better. For half an hour every afternoon, Darien would hand the melancholy blonde teen a hot chocolate, and simply stand beside her, silently staring out the window, at the increasingly bustling streets of the city below.

It wasn't until the eighteenth day of December, exactly a week before Christmas day, that Serena finally surrendered the remaining sliver of self restraint that she had left. Darien continued their new daily ritual and held out the mug of hot chocolate for Serena to gingerly take, but this time she didn't. Instead, her whole body began to tremble with loud sobs. After a minute of not-so-subtle gawking and much internal alarm and panic on Darien's behalf, he did the only rational thing that he could possibly think of doing at a time like this. Placing the two cups of chocolate down on the coffee table, Darien sat down on the armrest of the recliner and with quite a bit of hesitation at first, he wrapped his arms around the distraught teen lightly. To his surprise, she didn't protest. Instead, she shifted closer to him, and without saying a word, Darien pulled the weeping girl in for a tight hug, slowly running his fingers through her long golden locks in the most reassuring manner that he could manage.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I just-" Serena struggled to stop her sobbing, which only resulted in even deeper, ragged breaths.

"You don't have to explain anything." Darien whispered quickly, trying to reassure the flustered teen. "You..." He frowned slightly, struggling to find the right words. "You don't have to stop... if you don't want to. We don't have to move... not until you're ready." Serena nodded her head gently against Darien's chest, and as she released the breath she held, a new surge of tears sprang from her eyes.

* * *

Days had passed since Serena's emotional outburst, and neither she nor Darien had mentioned it since. Darien noticed that her spirits had lifted ever so slightly since that day. She was more respondent, but happiness was far from reaching her heart. She continued to sit on her seat by the window, cuddling her childhood plush rabbit with a downcast, vacant look in her eyes. When Serena's friends called or came by to visit, she made an attempt to plaster a smile across her face just long enough to brush off accusations of being 'not quite there', often mentioning that she was 'fine, just a little tired'. Their looks of pity told Darien that they knew the real reason behind Serena's depressed state, but when detective Darien pulled each girl aside to try to find out more information, they all seemed reluctant to mention anything that would shed some more light on Serena's situation.

"I don't know if I should say anything..." Lita glanced about in a non committal way.

"I'm sorry Darien, but it's not my place to say." Ami also offered no help.

"It's kind of personal..." Rei lowered her gaze as she quietly excused herself from Darien's interrogation. He sighed in slight frustration, feeling that although he was the one that seemed to be caring for her the most, he was the only person who had no idea what was wrong with the usually bubbly teen.

It wasn't until Christmas Eve that Darien had felt completely left out. As he helped Andrew prepare the special feast for three, Serena suddenly rose to her feet from her usual position by the window and shuffled into the kitchen.

"Andy..." Her voice cracked slightly, as if she hadn't been used it in such a long time.

"Yes Sere? Dinner isn't too far away." Andrew sprinkled a pinch of basil into his sauce before stirring it in and reducing the heat on the stove.

"Andy, can I talk to you please?" Serena tugged on his shirt sleeve gently, drawing the attention of her older cousin, whose cheery smile faltered slightly. As he turned to face Serena, the ever chipper expression on his face faded and he nodded solemnly, almost expectantly.

"Do you mind finishing up here?" He turned to Darien, who nodded quickly, continuing to wash the salad greens. "Thanks, man." Andrew removed his apron and placed it on one of the bar stools before leading Serena into his room and closing the door behind them. Darien sighed in slight frustration at being left out once again.

Minutes turned into hours and Darien paced back and forth at the set dinner table. In the two hours that his roommates had left him out in the cold, he had managed to finish off making dinner, cleaning, and was waiting ever so patiently with an empty stomach for the two to re-emerge from Andrew's bedroom of secrecy. As he sat down on the bar stool next to Andrew's apron, Darien's gaze fell upon a box under the Christmas tree. It was wrapped in pink shimmery paper with a gold bow, and had Serena's name scrawled across it in his hand. It was the first time he had ever been excited about Christmas. After experiencing Valentine's Day, White Day and Serena's birthday, he had grown accustomed to the way her eyes lit up whenever she received a gift, and he liked it. He liked the way she brightened up the room, but most of all, he liked knowing that he was the reason why she was smiling. Running his fingers through his hair in frustration, Darien let his eyes wander from his gift, to the dinner that was getting cold on the table, to Andrew's bedroom door that remained firmly closed. Despite all his efforts this year, it seemed that this year's Christmas was doomed to be as miserable as all the years before.

* * *

"Are you all right, Sere?" Andrew motioned for Serena to take a seat on his desk chair as he plonked himself on the edge of his bed. "You haven't been yourself lately."

"It's Christmas tomorrow." Serena stared down at her fidgety hands.

"I know." Andrew replied simply, waiting for the true motive of the conversation to reveal itself.

"It's been nearly a year since I moved in here." Serena raised her gaze up and smiled through her tears as if she were happy about the special milestone.

"I know, Sere." He sighed softly, reaching over and taking her hand to pull her into a hug.

"I'm so happy to have spent the year here, Andy" She could no longer hold back the tears as she struggled to stifle her sobs. "But I wish I had moved in for different reasons. It's Christmas tomorrow, and I wish I could be happy about it, but I just don't want to remember any more… I don't want to remember the last memories and moments that I spent with my dad." Serena pulled away briefly as she furiously rubbed the tears from her eyes. "Andy, it hurts too much."

* * *

"Hey Dar, wake up." Andrew shook Darien's shoulders gently. "Daz, go to bed."

"Ugh, where am I? What time is it?" Darien groaned as he sat up on the bar stool and stretched out his neck.

"It's just past 9, and you fell asleep on the kitchen bench." Andrew glanced down sympathetically. "Sorry we took so long. As you know, Sere hasn't been herself lately." As Andrew continued with his explanation, he noticed a strange change overcome Darien's expression. "She wanted to vent a little, I guess."

"Where'd she go?" Darien slowly began to stand up. Seeming distracted by something else, he looked around slowly and cautiously as though he had just dropped a contact lens, before standing completely still and shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"She's gone to bed." Andrew watched as Darien opened his eyes, a frown beginning to form on his face. "Are you ok?" The blonde man raised an eyebrow as Darien paced towards the balcony, pushing the door open wide before stepping out. "Daz...?" Darien's eyes were firmly focused on the sky above him as he breathed in slow, deep breaths. "Dude, what's going on? You're starting to freak me out."

"It's going to snow." Darien murmured.

"Okay now that just proves that you have some weird Mother Nature mojo going on there. I bet that you can't explain whatever that was you just did there with any of your cumulonimbus scientific cloud crap." Andrew shuddered, feeling the cool breeze come in through the balcony.

"Help me carry the sofa onto the rooftop." Darien hopped back into the living room, seemingly on a mission.

"Are you on crack? Why the hell would I do that?" Andrew watched as his dark haired friend started to drag the sofa on his own.

"You want to cheer Dumpling Head up, right?" Darien put his end of the chair down, trying to be as quiet as possible. "I have an idea, and we've got two hours to pull it off"

* * *

"Dumpling... hey dumpling, wake up" Darien sat on the snoring blonde teen.

"Oww! What the heck Darien?" She groaned loudly, smacking him repeatedly in an attempt to try to get him off of her. "Get your fat butt off of me!"

"Get up, Dumpling! Up, up, up!" Darien kneeled on the bed, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Ughh... why?" Serena rolled over in bed and sat up, glancing at her clock. "Why did you wake me up for? It's not even midnight yet, I can't open my presents yet and Santa's going to be mighty pissed off when he arrives to find that we're not asleep yet…"

"Just get up." Darien threw Serena's overcoat onto the bed and pulled out one of her draws, looking for a pair of socks.

"Hey! That's my underwear drawer! Get out of there, you pervert!" Serena leapt out of bed and yanked on Darien's arm. "What's with you?"

"Just get dressed. I promise you'll find out soon. Hurry up." Darien beamed one of his winning smiles, "Oh, and dress warmly, it's cold outside." He added before closing Serena's bedroom door behind him.

"I told you, you should've let me wake her up." Andrew shook his head at his overly enthusiastic friend, from the kitchen. "Knowing Sere, she's probably just going to go straight to bed agai-"

"Okay, I'm done." Serena stepped out into the hallway.

"Wow that was quick." Andrew blinked in astonishment as he closed the lid of the Thermos flask.

"Great, let's go!" Darien grabbed Serena's wrist and pulled her towards the door.

"Wait, idiot! I need shoes!" Serena scowled and pulled away to slip her socks and shoes on.

"Here, take this. I reheated dinner for the two of you." Andrew placed the flask into the lunch bag and handed it to Darien.

"You're not coming with us?" The smile temporarily faded from Darien's lips.

"Nah, I've got to get some sleep if I'm going to wake up on time to pick up your _now_ second Christmas surprise for Serena." Andrew lowered his voice to avoid being overheard by Serena. "Try to keep her up for a few more hours. We want her to be tired enough to sleep in tomorrow morning." Darien nodded swiftly before turning his attention back to the yawning blonde teen.

"Is this going to take long?" Serena whined sleepily. "Hey, where'd the couch go?"

"Told you she'd notice." Andrew grinned. "By the way, this is really weird, seeing you this hyper." The blond haired man turned his attention from his best friend, toward his cousin. "He's never been excited about Christmas before, not until you-"

"How very observant, on both accounts" Darien rolled his eyes before grabbing Serena's arm and dragging her out the door. "Come on, Dumpling. Let's go."

"Darieeen, why are we going to the roof? It's cold and I just want to go to bed." Serena whined as she slowly stomped up the fire escape stairs.

"I know, but a few more steps and you can see it for yourself." Darien ran up the stairs ahead of Serena to prepare. Just as Serena climbed the last couple steps up the stair well, Darien struck a match, flicking it into the makeshift fire pit, illuminating his winter wonderland.

"It's..." Serena's breath caught at the back of her throat as she glanced about the rooftop. A number of the indoor trees from the lobby had been borrowed, transported onto the roof and decorated with golden fairy lights and snow spray. Andrew had found and piled some old boxes together before throwing a white sheet over it to look like snow mounds. White confetti and foamy soap suds littered the ground near the sofa, which had been covered in mountains of pillows and white sheets. It faced a roaring temporary outdoor fire pit which Darien and Andrew had crudely constructed in 20 minutes, both of them agreeing that they would probably be in serious trouble if anyone ever found out. Fake snow fluff and snow trim lined the rooftop ledge. Serena was left speechless as she watched the light from the fire flicker across Darien's face. He glanced down at his watch.

"Merry Christmas, Dumpling." He smiled gently.

"Did you...?" Serena began, still taking it all in. She could feel herself slowly being drawn to the warmth of the fire.

"Yep. Couldn't have done it without Andrew."

"You and Andrew?" Serena stood by the fire pit, beside Darien. "How... when..."

"Just then, while you were sleeping. A lot of it came from the storage room at the arcade, some of it..." A small sheepish smile began to grace Darien's lips. "Well, let's just say, the lobby plants will never look the same again."

"But... why?" Wisps of condensation seeped from Serena's trembling lips as she stared up at Darien, trying to comprehend why he was being so nice to her.

"You've been unhappy this whole month and I just thought that this might just cheer you-oomph." Darien hadn't even finished his explanation before Serena threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "I... uh..." Darien looked down at the top of Serena's head, still unsure of where to put his hands, or what to say.

"I love it! It's wonderful! Thank you." Serena choked back muffled tears against Darien's heavily insulated overcoat.

"Umm... That's okay... It was nothing, really..."

"You're supposed to hug back." Serena instructed, a small smile reaching her lips as she felt Darien hesitantly place his arms around her for a moment before pulling away.

"Come and sit down." Darien motioned to the heavily covered sofa. Moving some of the pillows and cushions away, he waited for Serena to sit down before placing a quilt over her legs, making sure she was adequately tucked in. He sat down on the sofa beside her and began to unpack their dinner.

"I'm starving." Serena admitted, leaning over and digging into the penne pasta before Darien had even handed it to her. "So, what's for dessert?" She asked a moment later.

"Finish your din-" Darien looked over at Serena's empty container. "You're kidding, right? I only just gave that to you. How did you finish that so quickly?"

"I guess I got my appetite back." She smiled her first real smile in weeks. As Darien finished his midnight meal, Serena pulled the blanket out from beneath her, untucking herself and holding the quilt up.

"What are you doing, dumpling? You're going to get cold." Darien placed his fork into his empty meal box, putting it down on the ground beside him.

"You should have some blankey too." Serena insisted. Darien nodded and smiled appreciatively, wriggling in closer to the now blushing teen. Just as Darien began to get settled and comfortable, a tiny white speck floated down from the heavens and landed on the tip of Serena's nose. "Darien! It's snowing!" She shrieked in excitement, kicking her way out of the blanket, leaping off the sofa and running to the ledge to watch the gently white flakes fall across Tokyo. Darien couldn't help but chuckle at her child-like innocence. Slowly walking up behind her, he wrapped the quilt over her shoulders to keep her warm. "But it's too early for snow." Serena looked up at Darien with a questioning look in her eyes.

"It won't be very heavy, and it won't last very long. Most of Tokyo will wake up tomorrow morning without knowing that it snowed at all tonight." Darien watched the movements of the clouds in the night sky.

"You knew it was going to snow though, didn't you, Darien?" Serena asked with a certainty in her voice that gained his attention. He nodded slowly. "So you did all this, for me?" She questioned, and once again, he nodded. Serena began to nibble on her bottom lip nervously. All of a sudden, her heart sank all the way to her feet and an overwhelming feeling of misery overcame her senses. No matter how hard she tried to distract her mind, she couldn't help it. Tears began to trickle from her eyes. It was the most romantic, and one of the nicest things that anybody had ever done for her, but knowing that Darien didn't think of her in _that _way made it absolutely heartbreaking. She couldn't express how she felt about him, she couldn't tell him how incredibly wonderful she thought he was at that moment, he wouldn't hold her hand as the snow fell, and there was absolutely no chance of her leaning in for a heart melting kiss tonight.

"Hey, why are you crying, Dumpling Head?" Darien lowered his head and lifted up Serena's face before she could hide her tears with the quilt. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, not at all." Serena forced a smile through her tears. "Everything's perfect." She struggled to suppress a small sob and turned away to watch the snow fall. To her surprise, Darien stepped in closer and with her back pressed up against his chest, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"You're a horrible liar." He whispered gently. "But whatever it is, I'm sure you'll get through it and be stronger than ever." She could barely make out the faint rhythm of his heartbeat, but as she slowly turned around to face him, she placed a hand gently on her chest. Searching his eyes, she was relieved to see nothing but sincerity within them. He raised his right hand from her shoulder and gently wiped away one of Serena's stray tears. The falling snow and crispness of the cool air caught Serena's light breaths as they escaped from her lips. Darien's line of sight shifted from Serena's eyes, down to her delicate pink lips. She felt his heart begin to beat faster and faster within his chest, and for half a second, she swore he had leant in closer. A strange look washed over him for a moment, as though he were remembering something. "We have marshmallows." Dropping his hands from her shoulders, Darien abruptly turned away, walking back to the sofa. Serena sighed softly as she followed suit and sat down next to Darien, placing the blanket over both of them. He handed her a long stick before loading his own with fluffy white marshmallows to roast.

"Darien..." Serena began.

"Hmm?"

"There's this guy that I like..." She continued, holding her marshmallow stick near the flame of the fire. "How do I know if he likes me too?"

"Umm..." Darien cleared his throat, unsure of how to answer Serena's seemingly out-of-the-blue question. "That's a hard question. Have you asked him?"

"No!" Serena shook her head strongly. "There's no way I would just ask him!"

"Okay, well, other than that. It's kind of hard to tell. There are a lot of different signs, and it probably depends on the guy. Some guys tend to be straight forward and I guess, if that kind of guy likes you, he'll probably just tell you." As Darien attempted to answer Serena's question as best as he could, she slowly moved towards him, resting her head against his shoulder. "Other guys might be a bit more subtle and prefer to show you how they feel, as opposed to telling you straight out. In that case, you should try to remember all the little things he's done for you. For example, has he ever walked you home, or-"

"You're so dreamy..." Serena whispered softly.

"Sere?" Darien looked down at the girl leaning against his arm. The marshmallow on the end of her stick ignited, melting the sugar and falling into the fire. A gentle snore escaped from Serena's mouth. Darien smiled. Taking Serena's stick and putting it on the ground, he wrapped the blanket around her shoulders before lifting her up and carrying her back to the apartment. "Has he ever carried your sleepy head down a flight of stairs? Saved you from monster attacks? Watched 10 hours of Lord of the Rings with you? Kissed you? Given you the key to his heart to wear around your neck? No? Then he's probably not the right guy for you, Dumpling." Darien continued the conversation on his own as he carried Serena back to the apartment. Knocking on the door with his ankle, he waited for Andrew to answer the door.

"Sorry to wake you up, I didn't think she was going to fall asleep." Darien whispered to the bleary eyed blond.

"That's cool. Good thing she's not a light sleeper, like me," Andrew quipped.

"Mmm... you're so romantic..." Serena murmured, smiling in her sleep.

"Woah," Andrew rubbed his eyes. "Is she talking to you?"

"No," Darien carried Serena down the hall and into her room. "She likes this guy. Anyway, she was asking me how to tell if he likes her, then she fell asleep."

"So strong... so handsome..." Serena giggled as Darien pulled her blanket up over her shoulders.

"Right, well, whoever it is, she seems to really like him." Andrew noted as Serena began to make kissing noises in her sleep. "Let's leave her to it, eh?"

"Yeah, I've got to clean up a bit upstairs, drag that couch down and get to sleep." Darien shut Serena's bedroom door behind him.

"Did you need help with that sofa?" Andrew offered

"Nah, I figured, if I enlist the help of Tux, I can get it down the stairs easily enough." Darien shrugged, pulling a red rose out from his coat pocket.

"Then why did you ask for my help in the first place?!"

. . .

"Mmm... I love your kisses..." Serena smiled as she turned over in bed. "I love you too, Darien."

* * *

. . .

Awww cute, yeah? If you thought so, shoot me a review and I'll see you all next week for another Christmasy update :D

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	20. The Spirit of Xmas: The Gift of Hope

Hi everyone! Oh my goodness... we smashed through that 500 review milestone! Thank you all so much for your overwhelming support and lovely comments! Sorry I didn't update last week, but I was busy with my graduation... That- and we're having a super hot summer down in Aussie land this year. Heat always makes me sleepy, and it's so hard to write a wintery Christmas chapter when I'm sweating my eyeballs out, haha!

_**Thanks to: **_fan, Guest, amethysth, PhOenIxJaDeBLaCK, SECRET, Guest, Ty, beaucoup riant, MoonGoddessMagic, ForeverHalfa, angeljme, gggosiaaa, AM, MinnieMoosi, Princessa de Silence, Dream01, devilsangels11287, nessa, moon86, buttaflykissesxoxo, SerentiyMoonGodness, MissTexMex, LoveInTheBattleField, animeangel404, Sailor Rallison, KissyKittyKat, Twiggirl006, SailorMoon489, ChamedSerenity3, sailormoon0630, _**and**_ Miss Katrina Malfoy _**for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 20 – The Spirit of Xmas: The Gift of Hope

**I never knew the meaning of Christmas**  
**'Till you came into my life**  
**I was lost in the dark 'till you opened my heart**  
**Like an angel shining bright**  
**. . .**  
**Suddenly I realize**  
**That I never knew the meaning of Christmas**  
**'Till I looked into your eyes  
**_[I Never Knew the Meaning of Christmas - *NSYNC]_

The warm rays of sunlight radiated through the window of the spacious bedroom and a small smile graced Serena's lips as she winced and covered her eyes. It was a new day, it was Christmas. The familiar smell of cinnamon waffles and butter pancakes wafted around her. Mama only ever made cinnamon waffles on Christmas morning. It was a smell that made Serena feel warm, fuzzy and hungry. As her eyelids languidly peeled back, Serena jumped lightly in bed, drawing her covers up towards her chin. There, Darien sat on Serena's desk chair at the end of the bed, staring straight at her with arms crossed over, seemingly trying to hide the ugly red and green Rudolph knitted sweater vest that he was wearing.

"What the hell? Why are you staring at me? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Serena wailed loudly, throwing a pillow at Darien. A small cheeky smile graced his lips as he caught the pillow and tossed it aside.

"What... what is it?" Serena's frown changed into an expression of curiosity for a moment before her stomach rumbled loudly.

"Happy Christmas, Dumpling." Darien continued to smile with his arms folded across his chest.

"_He's never been this excited about Christmas before."_ Andrew's words from the night before echoed through Serena's mind, and she felt the blood begin to rush to her cheeks. "What are you doing here?" She shook her head to try to rid herself of the overwhelming feeling of her heart fluttering into overdrive in her chest. There was something about the way that he smiled...

"Come on, I have a surprise for you." Darien held his hand out.

"Is it a sweater vest? Cause if it is, I'll pass, thanks." Serena scrunched up her nose as she gingerly took his hand and stepped out of bed. As Darien pushed his way out of Serena's room and into the living area, the smell of cinnamon waffles made Serena's heart beat excitedly.

"Hey, Sere! Merry Christmas!" Andrew greeted from the kitchen as he popped the top of the waffle maker open.

"Oh..." Serena's heart sank in her chest. For half a second, she had almost expected her mother to be in the kitchen. "Merry Christmas, Andy." Plastering a smile across her face and blinking her tears away, she leapt towards her cousin and gave him a tight hug. "Thank you for the rooftop surprise last night."

"No problem." Andrew winked. "I hope you slept well."

"Andrew, you opened the waffle maker too soon again, didn't you?" The sing-songy voice of an older woman flit down the hallway, preceding her entrance. "What did I tell you? Serena likes her waffles crispy."

"Mama?" Serena turned her head toward the direction of the familiar voice. "Mama!" She bolted towards the hallway, throwing herself at her mother in a bone crushing embrace. "You're here! I can't believe you're here! You weren't meant to come until tomorrow. When did you get here?"

"I hope you didn't forget about us too."

"Aunty Yuka, Uncle Akio, Liz! Sammy! I've missed you all so much!" Serena took turns embracing each member of her family.

"Yes, a little birdy told us that you were missing us, and then he upgraded our train tickets so we could make it here in time to spend Christmas with you." The red headed woman smiled warmly as she embraced her niece.

"Oh, Andy..." Serena smiled through her tears as she turned to her cousin in appreciation.

"What? No. I mean, I thought about it, but professor moneybags here put the plan and funding in motion." Andrew glanced over at Darien who looked away sheepishly.

"It was noth-_oomph_." Darien shrugged before Serena threw herself at him, squeezing him tightly in an appreciative hug.

"What a beautiful couple, don't you think Ikuko? How does it feel to lose your daughter to such a dashing prince? Your grandchildren will be absolutely gorgeous!" Aunty Yuka clasped her hands together happily.

"What?!" Darien and Serena pulled away abruptly, distancing themselves from each other.

"What? Us? No! We're not-" Serena shook her head vigorously as Darien looked away in embarrassment, his cheeks an uncharacteristically bright shade of rouge.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Darien added.

"Oh come on, Dar." Aunty Yuka reached up to pinch Darien's cheek. "I've known you for over a decade now. You've never been known for being affectionate, or even open, and you definitely haven't been known for that gorgeous smile of yours that you seem to have been hiding away from us." She nudged and winked playfully. "I've never seen you smile so much. I'm so happy for you."

"He looks so handsome when he smiles." Andrew's younger sister, Elizabeth, gushed in agreement.

"I-I-uh..." Darien ran his fingers through his hair nervously. "I'm not any happier than usual."

"So where are these waffles?" Serena's rumbling stomach prompted her to quickly change the subject.

* * *

"Okay, so mama, papa and Elizabeth will sleep in my room," Andrew instructed. "Sammy and Aunt Ikuko will sleep with you in your room, Sere, and I'll bunk with Daz, is everybody cool with that?" Andrew looked around the room, noting all the nods before each family member dispersed to collect their things and move about the apartment.

"Mrs Tsukino-" Darien bowed as he addressed the older lady, taking the bags from her to assist her.

"Please, Darien, you don't need to be so formal." She smiled warmly.

"A-aunty Ikuko," Darien awkwardly adjusted the formality of his tone before continuing. "Please, stay in my room. The bed is bigger, so there should be enough room for you, Sam and Serena, and there's a heater in there too. Andrew and I can sleep in Serena's room."

"That's very thoughtful of you Darien, but I can't kick you out of your own room." Ikuko shook her head in protest. "Thank you for your generous offer, but we will be more than happy in Usagi's room."

"Usagi?" Darien raised a curious eyebrow.

"What a gentleman!" Aunty Yuka interjected at that moment, causing Darien to bow once again in order to hide his embarrassment. "Oh, you're such a sweetheart, Darien! If only I had a daughter of age, I would set her up with you-"

"I'm of age!" Elizabeth ran down the already cramped hallway and threw herself at Darien, grabbing hold of his arm affectionately.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous Unazuki, you're too young, and besides, you said you already had a boyfriend."

"Maaaa!" Elizabeth whined loudly, still clinging onto Darien's arm. "I told you, my name's Elizabeth. I don't like it when you use my Japanese name, and Ryosuke was _so_ last week. Darien's a true gentleman."

"And still too old for you." Yuka remained firm in her argument.

"But I'm only two years younger than Serena-"

"And two years makes all the difference!"

"Mama," Elizabeth frowned, crossing her arms in defiance. "Age matters not when it comes to love, right, Darien?"

"Uh," Darien's eyes widened as he looked around for an escape route. Out the window? No, even though he had super powers, he couldn't use them at this time.

Just at that moment, Uncle Akio and Serena approached the crowded hallway to see what all the fuss was about. Akio raised his eyebrow curiously at the sight of his underage daughter affectionately clinging to the arm of a man seven years her senior. Serena grinned at the pained expression on his face. There was just no way that that socially awkward man would have any idea what to do next. Darien's gaze left Serena's and met Akio's and immediately, the younger man leapt back as panic set in. "Lizzie, I'm sure you'll find a wonderful guy one day in the future... maybe when you're older, _much _older." Darien watched as Akio nodded slowly in approval.

"Aww, Darien!" Lizzie pouted, crossing her arms. "You're too much of a gentleman, it's no fun." Picking up her bags, she grumbled under her breath as she dragged her feet toward Andrew's bedroom.

* * *

Christmas dinner was feast of epic proportions, one that would rival that of the largest dinner halls. While the abundance of delicious food filled the dinner table and lined the kitchen counter due to lack of space, the dinner party itself sat elbow to elbow, eight members sitting around a six seater dining table, but nobody seemed to care too much. They were all in good company, and enjoying the festive feast.

Once all party members sat satiated and stuffed fatter than the Christmas turkey had once been, talk of opening presents led everybody to the living room area. First, Sammy opened his gift from Serena.

"A signed Sailor Moon figurine! Cool! How did you get it signed?!" Sammy admired the figure in the box with much excitement.

"Your big sis has her ways." Serena winked, happy she could bring a smile to her sibling's face.

As the presents were sorted and the mass of gifts beneath the tree began to diminish, it was eventually time for Darien to hand Serena his present to her. Wrapped in shimmery pink wrapping paper with a gold bow tied all around, Serena felt the urge to take a photo of the present before opening it. She gently tugged on the bow and removed the tape holding the wrapping paper together, to reveal a white box underneath. Pulling the lid off of the box, Serena gasped at the contents.

"Darien..." She whispered as she pulled out a pink and white silk dress, embellished with white lace and embroidery.

"I wasn't sure what to get you." The dark haired man looked away bashfully. "I don't know if it's your size or if you like the colour or style..." "If you don't like it, I can take it back-"

"It's beautiful." Serena lifted the dress out of the pink box and held it up to her body. "It's my size too." She smiled warmly as Darien seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"What else is in the box?" Aunt Yuka leant over for a closer look as Serena reached in and pulled out a small gift box and a diary.

"You over bought again." Serena poked her tongue out playfully as Darien shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he wasn't too sure about gift etiquette. He watched as Serena opened the small gift box, giggling gleefully at the Rudolph Christmas themed charm inside. "It's so cute!" She squealed, running a finger over the red enamel nose before placing it alongside the other charms on her bracelet. "And the diary, how did you know that I needed-" Serena's thought trailed away as she turned the front cover and became distracted by the inscription written in Darien's hand.

"_The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places.__  
__But still there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now__  
__mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater."__  
__―__J.R.R. Tolkien_

"Darien..." Serena's eyes became misty with unshed tears as she glanced up at the man sitting across the room from her. A gentle appreciative smile slowly spread across her lips. Her mind raced with a million thoughts, mainly cautionary warnings on the perils of letting her guard down again, but she simply couldn't ignore the relentless erratic pounding of her heart, and the way her stomach tied itself in knots. She kept telling herself that she was crazy and delusional; that there was no way that he was looking at her differently, but her heart sang out loud and she couldn't help but rekindle that little spark of hope.

Looks of curiosity and amusement were exchanged across the room between Akio, Yuka and Ikuko. The silent speculations of a budding romance were further fuelled by Andrew, who sat smiling in an all knowing way, nodding his head expectantly.

"Darien, Darien!" Lizzie suddenly interrupted, breaking the silence in the room. She slid onto the armrest next to Darien and held out a gift wrapped in green paper. "Mama, papa and I picked out a gift for you too!" Small groans of disappointment echoed across the room and Yuka gently smacked the palm of her hand across her forehead at her daughter's timing.

"Really?" Darien's attention was diverted toward the wrapped box in front of him. "The sweater vest wasn't my gift?"

"No, that was my idea of a joke, and you fell for it, Dar." Akio chuckled. "Thanks for keeping us amused all day."

"I should have known..." Darien rolled his eyes, trying to maintain his composure even though he could already feel his cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

Darien carefully unwrapped the gift, revealing a first edition copy of Grays Anatomy. "That's... incredible!" Darien gaped at the book in his hands in awe. "Thank you all so much!"

"Now, we know it's a bit dated, so you won't be able to use it as a text reference of course, but its value as a collectable item-"

"Would be phenomenal!" Darien flicked through the book, absorbed in the diagrams. "Thank you, Aunty Yuka, Uncle Akio, Elizabeth."

"Sere," Andrew's voice called out over the muffled hum of the group. "Didn't you have a gift for Daz too?" The petite blonde lowered her head shyly as all attention fell upon her. Darien shot her a curious glance; the idea of the teenager getting him a gift had totally slipped his mind. Serena stood up slowly and walked over to the bookshelf. Pulling out two books from the shelves, she reached toward the back of the book case and brought out a small glass tank. Carefully, she walked back toward Darien and held it out.

"Merry Christmas." Serena smiled gently as Darien accepted the water filled gift. "It's an eco-tank. It's nowhere near as cool as a first edition of Grays Anatomy, but I was out shopping one day and saw these little ecospheres for sale. They looked so cool, but I thought it was mean putting shrimp into sealed glass orbs, so I asked Ami to help me set up something similar. It's a miniature glass tank with filtered water and live shrimp and some plants." Serena shrugged as she explained. "It's its own self contained ecosystem; like having your own little Earth."

"That's so cool!" Darien raised the mini ecosystem up to his face for a closer look. His whole face lit up in excitement. "And I don't have to clean it or feed the shrimp or anything?"

"Nope, it mostly takes care of itself. You may have to put in a little food every now and then..."

"Amazing!" Darien smiled warmly. "Thanks, Dumpling Head!"

The last of the gifts were distributed about and soon, the children began to feel the enormity of the day begin to set in. Yawns became contagious and weary eyes teared at the thought of staying up a moment longer. Yuka, Akio and Elizabeth retired to their rooms, and soon after, Andrew also decided that he would head off to bed. Everybody retreated back to their respective bedrooms for a peaceful nights rest, comforted in the knowledge that their loved ones were nearby.

. . .

"Hey, Sammy, what's up?" Darien walked down the hallway and into the kitchen for his midnight snack, noticing the younger boy sitting by himself at the dining table.

"Nothing," Sam shrugged, a small pout displayed on his lips. "I can't sleep. Mama and 'Rena keep talking, and it's keeping me up."

"Well, how about you sleep in my room?" Darien suggested, "Drew should already be passed out on the bed, but there should be another pull out bed in there."

"A-are you sure?" Sam rubbed his eyes as he yawned, thoroughly exhausted.

"Yeah, you should get some sleep. I'll probably be up a little longer anyway." Darien shrugged, noticing just how tired the boy was.

"Oh, thank you so much. I'm so sleepy but they just keep yapping like blah blah blah." Sam rose to his feet and pushed his chair back in place "Darien, you're going to be the coolest brother in-law!" Sammy grabbed hold of his pillow before running down the hallway into Darien's room to sleep.

"What? Hey now!" Darien called out but by then, it was already too late. Sammy was gone and the bedroom door was closed. Merely moments later, the light pitter patter of delicate feet along the hallway drew the attention of Darien once more.

"You're still awake." Serena peered into the kitchen to find Darien nibbling on some leftovers.

"You too." The tall, dark haired man acknowledged. "Are you after a midnight snack?"

"Of course." Serena shot Darien a bright grin as she began to pick and munch away on some turkey "Thank you, by the way."

"What for?" Darien handed the petite blonde a fork and the coleslaw bowl.

"Everything! Your multiple Christmas presents, Your Winter wonderland, you even made it possible for my family to be with me on Christmas. You've done so much for me. Thank you so much, Dar." Serena placed her hand gently on Darien's arm, gaining his attention. She raised herself up on the tips of her toes before placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"I-It's nothing, really." Darien murmured, a little surprised at her display of affectionate gratification. The golden fairy lights twinkled behind her, giving the moment an almost magical feel. The Christmas tree glistened in the background, its baubles catching the glow of the fairy lights making them twinkle with a warmth that could only be described as the feeling of Christmas. At that moment, as Serena stood before him, Darien could only wish that he had an excuse to wrap his arms around her and hold her again. His eyes glanced up at the ceiling, secretly hoping that Andrew had placed some mistletoe above them, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. It was probably for the best anyway. Darien knew that starting a relationship with Serena was not the right thing to do. She was Sailor Moon, and he was meant to protect her. Besides, he still had to find his Princess. Darien turned his attention to the sofa before sitting down and unfurling the throw covers

"What are you doing?" Serena tilted her head to the side, watching the man as he lay down on the couch, trying to adjust his tall body to the frame of the three seater couch.

"Sammy's sleeping in my bed; he said it was too noisy in your room." Darien explained, unfazed by the sudden change in bedroom arrangements.

"And you've sacrificed your bed for my little brother." A small smile of gratitude graced Serena's lips. "I'll make sure you get your bed back tomorrow night."

"It's fine, really." Darien shook his head even though he knew that his back would be killing him by the morning. "What are you doing?" He watched as Serena sat down on the floor by his side, and reached for the television remote.

"Do you mind if I sit out here with you and watch some television for a little while? I should stay up a little while to digest." Was the best excuse Serena could come up with at the time.

"Sure thing, Dumpling." Darien smiled, stacking the cushions and placing them under his head. He reached over and squeezed one of Serena's hair buns, earning him a raspberry for his efforts. "Or maybe I should call you by your Japanese name, _Usagi_."

"What?! Who told you that? No one but mama calls me that!" Serena's head whipped around in alarm at the sound of her other name.

"U-sa-gi." Darien taunted once more in retaliation to Serena's protests. She whacked him with a cushion to stop him from talking, but he chuckled at how her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment and annoyance "It's cute-" _Thwack!_

* * *

Ikuko glanced over at the open diary on Serena's bedtime table. She didn't mean to read it, but the entry was short and simple, and she couldn't help but smile.

"_Dear Diary,  
It's Christmas, and I'm so happy right now.  
-Sere"_

* * *

. . .

That's it for this chapter guys! I was a little late getting this chapter out. I had hoped for it to be out by Christmas eve, latest, but it looks like this is the soonest I could muster up. On the plus side though, due to the timing of my chapters, the next chapter should be out in about 3 days, and the one after that should be released on New Year's Eve... so 3 chapters in a week! My present to you!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, filled with lots of love, food, gifts, friends and family. Stay safe and enjoy your holiday! See you all in a few days (After I indulge by watching The Hobbit) Also, sorry I haven't been replying to reviews, Christmas rush is madness!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,  
_**Crystal Saturn**_


	21. The Anniversary: Serenas Secret Revealed

Here's the latest chapter guys! It didn't turn out exactly how I expected, but it's okaaaaay I suppose.

_**Thanks to: **_Guest, MissTexMex, Usako, Guest, Polevault Princess, MinnieMoosi, Princessa de Silence, sailormoon0630, nessa, AM, Sailor Rallison, LoveInTheBattleField, Lunachan90, SerentiyMoonGodness, missscatterbrain (Happy Birthday for a few days ago!), CharmedSerenity3, buttaflykissesxoxo, TropicalRemix _**and **_SailorMoon489 _**for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 21 – One Year On. Serena's Secret Revealed

. . .

"Tears soften the soul, clear the mind and open the heart"

_[Anonymous]_

**. . . **

Darien bolted upright in bed. Beads of sweat clung to his body as he gasped desperately for breath. It was the same dream, but this time something was terribly wrong. His princess cried out to him. A blood curdling, piercing scream escaped her lips as she desperately begged for him to find her; to save her. She was in danger, he could sense it. The smell of blood hung heavily in the air as blankets of fog consumed him. It was almost as if he could taste death in the air. A mucus-like, metallic flavor choked the back of his throat, and just as Darien thought he could make out the faint outline of his princess's figure, another piercing scream filled his ears, jolting him out of his slumber.

"Hey man, are you alright?" Andrew stirred groggily. A gurgling sound escaped from Darien's throat as he choked, unable to take another breath in. Instantly, his head began to throb and pound painfully, as though his brain was expanding, about to explode. Every movement, every sound amplified Darien's agony as he clutched at his chest and his head at the same time. Andrew noticed his friends distress and reached for the bedside table lamp, flicking the switch and flooding the room with light. It was then that he noticed that Darien's face was dripping in blood. It seemed as though his nose had started bleeding some time during the night, and was still seeping. The dark haired man's hands were stained red as the blood trickled down his face, falling onto his chest and lap.

"Woah, Daz, you're bleeding." Andrew leapt up, reaching for the closest tissue box. As Darien's eyes slowly adjusted to the light of the room, he began to feel as though the choking sensation was starting to fade. Eventually, he began to resume taking slow deep breaths from his mouth, and the jackhammer sensation in his skull also eventually ceased.

"I'm fine," Darien managed to reassure his roommate. "It's just a nose bleed."

"Are you sure?" Andrew raised a curious eyebrow. "Is there anything else you want to tell me? Any dreams?"

"Just the same dream as every night. The one with the princess." Darien shook his head as he plugged a fistful of tissues under his nose. His heart was still pounding in his chest, so hard that he could have sworn that Andrew was able to hear it too. "I'm going to go take a shower." He added, immediately preventing the conversation from going any further.

* * *

"I love the smell of pancakes in the morning!" Andrew yawned loudly, stretching an arm high above his head as the other scratched his belly. He dragged his slippered feet down the hallway and into the kitchen area, taking a seat next to Darien, who was already digging into his stack, sitting on a bar stool by the counter.

"These are delicious, Mrs Tsuk- Aunty Ikuko." Darien corrected himself with a mouthful of fluffy pancake. "Now I know why Serena misses your cooking so much."

"Oh, you really are a sweetheart, aren't you, Darien?" Ikuko smiled warmly as she unloaded another pancake onto Darien's plate, much to the protest of Andrew, who pouted, looking down sadly at his empty plate.

"I don't know why you had to move away but-"

"Wait, did you just say you don't know why?" Yuka stopped whisking her bowl of pancake batter as she frowned slightly, standing beside her sister. Surely he must have known why Serena was living with him, right?

"Uh oh..." Andrew lowered his head, knowing that somehow he would have to be the one to explain.

"Andrew?" Yuka turned her attention toward her son.

"'Rena didn't want him to know initially. She told me not to tell him, and I wanted to respect her wishes." Andrew raised his hands in defence, knowing that at any moment, his mother was going to reach for ammunition in the form of a pot, pan or other kitchen utensil and smack him with it.

"But he's your best friend and he lives under this roof too!" Yuka reached into the drawers and pulled out a wooden spoon, hitting her son across the shoulder with it. The expression on her face softened as she turned her attention back toward the man beside Andrew. "Darien, do you not know what tomorrow is?" He shook his head slowly, pouring more syrup over his pancake. "Friday?" Ikuko lifted her pan off of the stovetop as she slipped the cooked pancake onto Andrew's plate. She took a moment to assure her composure before setting the pan aside and picking up the conversation.

"Darien, tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of my husband-" Ikuko took a moment to clear her throat. "Serena's father's passing." The dark haired woman watched as Darien's face paled and his fork dropped onto his plate with a loud clatter. "Tomorrow, we will be visiting the cemetery to pay our respects, and I know how much it would mean to Serena, if you could come along to support her. I'm sorry it took this long for you to find out. My daughter should have told you."

"No it's fine." Darien shook his head, feigning a reassuring smile to cover up his hurt. His mind raced back to the beginning. The very first thing he had done when she had just moved in was make fun of the plush rabbit her father gave her. Then there were all the jokes about her ruining Christmas and her family abandoning her. He felt like such a fool for not figuring it out sooner. Of course she didn't want to live here, she had a loving family. Her moving in was not out of choice, it was something she had to do.

Darien knew that it wasn't appropriate for him to be the one feeling so hurt at this sudden revelation, but he couldn't help but remember how she looked that day. As the rain fell against the window pane behind her, she trembled in his arms, whimpering helplessly as she cried. He remembered feeling so helpless, not knowing what to say or what to do. He remembered the feeling of wanting to soothe her, to help her with whatever it was that was making her so sad. He also remembered feeling like he was the only person on the whole planet who didn't know why Serena was becoming so depressed.

"I-I'm so sorry for your loss." The words tumbled out of Darien's mouth as his mind continued to replay memories and incidents in his mind when he didn't know, but should have. He said so many things that he wouldn't have if he had known. More than anything, Darien wanted to know why she refused to tell him after all this time. Did she not trust him? "Excuse me." He rose to his feet solemnly, placing his napkin on the counter before turning around and trudging down the hallway.

As he stood against the doorway of Serena's room, he noted that she was leaning against her balcony door, staring out the window as dark grey clouds seemed to accumulate and appear out of nowhere against the otherwise bright blue sky. "Why didn't you tell me?" Serena's posture shifted slightly at the sound of his voice. She looked up briefly at his reflection on the glass door before fixing her indifferent gaze back down on the activity on the streets below.

"Tell you about what?" Her monotonous tone mirrored her defeated body language. She knew exactly what he was referring to, but a small part of her hoped that she would stand corrected. She was exhausted from not sleeping very well, and didn't feel like talking about anything to anyone.

"About tomorrow, about why you're here, about your father... why didn't you tell me about any of it?" Darien watched as Serena let out a small sigh. She closed her eyes momentarily as she took a deep breath in and shrugged.

"What difference does it make?" Her indifferent tone pushed Darien's buttons as he began to feel more and more dejected. It was almost as though he meant nothing to her, like it made no difference if he wanted to get to know her, like he wasn't important enough to know. At that moment, the unseasonable sound of thunder rumbled in the distance.

"What difference!? You've been living here for a year, and you didn't think it was important to let me know about probably the biggest event that has happened in your life so far?" His tone was harsher than he had expected. As he approached her, he watched, clenching his teeth as she quickly wiped a stray tear away from her eyes. A strange look swept over her features and she steeled herself.

"I didn't think you would care." She frowned slightly and refused to look at the tall man before her. Turning her body away, she stood staring straight out the window. "It's not like I'm anybody special to you anyway." A minute of silence passed, and in that time Serena cringed, wishing she could take back her last sentence.

"I stood by your side every day this month." Darien struggled to keep his composure as he spoke to the back of her head. "I watched as you slowly fell apart, becoming more and more depressed as each day passed. I didn't pry, because I respected your privacy, but I held you when you cried..." Darien forced himself to look away, his anger and frustration fading away into disappointment. "I wanted, no, I _was_ there for you. But all this time, I never thought that you were keeping something like this from me, because you couldn't trust me. What did you think? That I would make fun of you?"

"Something like that..." The words slipped from Serena's lips before she could stop them.

"I must have seemed like an insensitive ass when you first came to stay with us. The things that I said then..." Darien's voice rumbled, low and deep, echoing the sound of distant thunder. "But I sincerely had no idea. How could I know? But it's been a year now, and for you to keep this from me because you thought that I'd be cruel enough to use it against you- you must think that I'm the worst kind of person." The pained tone in his voice caught Serena's attention. Immediately, she became overwhelmed with immense guilt.

"Darien, I-" Serena turned to defend herself but was cut off as Darien continued.

"Sere, how do you think it makes me feel to hear that after everything this year, you still think that I-" Darien grit his teeth in frustration. His chest clenched tightly, making it hard to breathe. "I can't be here..." Brushing his fingers through his hair, Darien turned and left the room, storming down the hall and out the apartment door. Serena followed a moment later, stopping at the end of the hallway as she met the eyes of each of her family members. The apartment had thin walls and she knew that everybody had just heard their argument. Andrew rose to his feet, reaching for his coat.

"I'll go talk to him." He shot Serena a reassuring look as he paced toward the front door.

"In the meantime, Miss," Ikuko tapped on the kitchen counter top before crossing her arms, evidently unimpressed with her daughter. "You have some explaining to do."

* * *

"Stop brooding" Andrew rolled his eyes as he opened the rooftop door.

"I'm not." Darien crossed his arms stubbornly, taking a deep breath as he watched out over the horizon.

"Do you know what the weather forecast was for today? For the whole week? Fine and sunny." Andrew pointed to the small dark grey cluster of clouds beginning to amass nearby. "Do you see that? I don't think that's normal. I don't know how you do it, and I wouldn't normally be one to believe in weird things like rain dances and things of that nature, but It's uncanny how you can read the weather, and sometimes, even predict it. That freak storm cloud on this fine and sunny day has your name all over it."

"Don't be ridiculous." Darien mumbled.

The two men spent a number of minutes in complete silence, standing on top of the apartment rooftop, both mentally trying to prepare for the inevitable conversation ahead. The dark grey cloud dissipated slightly, but loitered about in the sky nevertheless, slowly approaching the proximity of the apartment building.

"I don't understand why she doesn't trust me." Darien finally caved in first.

"You know, whether you believe me or not, 'Rena likes you." Andrew responded after a moment of thought. "But the two of you don't exactly have the smoothest track record when it comes to getting along amicably and play fighting."

"Did she think that I would tease her about it?" A small flash of lightning danced across the sky above their heads. "Sailor Moon klutzes out all the time, but I never hold it against her. She knows about my parents, why would she think-"

"Daz," Andrew stared up at the sky, fearing slightly for his life as the grey cloud grew larger. "Serena trusts you enough to let her guard down around you. She cried in front of you, not because she wanted you to tease her about it, but because she knew you would be there to support her, and you did."

"Why not just tell me then?"

"Did you ever think that maybe she wanted to, but couldn't find the words? Maybe she saw how well you were coping, and wanted to seem strong too." Andrew shrugged.

"But I've had 15 years to deal with my loss."

"And she's only had one year to try to move on from hers." Andrew reasoned. "She hasn't spoken to me about it, not since the funeral, not until Christmas Eve. To my knowledge, she hasn't been dealing with what's happened. She hasn't had time to. I'm sure if she could have found the right words, she would have told you, Daz, and I think you understand that."

"What are you saying?" Darien leaned back against the rooftop railing casually.

"There's something else on your mind. Something that would cause you to overreact to a situation that you would otherwise be very understanding and level headed about." Andrew sat down on the floor beside his friend, turning his body away slightly to reduce the directness of the conversation. "You came back after waking up from your nightmare, completely shaken. I've never seen you so scared in your life. What happened to you last night?"

After a few more moments of silent contemplation, Darien finally decided that it would probably be wiser for him to just share his thoughts with his best friend, rather than waste another half hour trying to argue and deny all the accusations, before finally relinquishing up his thoughts anyway. "I think the princess is trying to tell me something." Darien began. "I haven't been as focused on my mission to find the Rainbow Crystals as I should have been. I've been letting my personal life distract me and get in the way of the bigger picture, and I think time is running out. I need to stay focused on freeing the princess. She's the key to unlocking my memories and my past." A sigh escaped from Darien's lips as he tried to let go of all current thoughts and feelings regarding Serena. "I can't let anything, or anyone, distract me from my main goal."

Although Darien had made it excruciatingly clear that he was to refocus his goals toward finding his princess, banishing all feelings and unnecessary thoughts about a certain blonde teenage girl in the process, his heart felt heavy at the decision. He continued his brooding mood and dark grey clouds began to roll across the sky, mirroring exactly how he felt.

The day had come. Today they would head to the cemetery to pay their respects. It was going to be a difficult day for Serena, as she would have to say goodbye to her family soon after the visit to the cemetery. Work schedules, train timetables and New Year preparations meant that they had to leave that afternoon, only a few hours after the remembrance ceremony.

For Darien, the lack of any dream or nightmare the previous night had indicated to him that his princess was satisfied. Although he knew that his decision to distance himself from Serena and remain focused on his mission was the right thing to do, he was far from happy about it.

As the rain drizzled miserably, casting a dull grey funk over the whole of Tokyo, Darien watched as Serena stood, emotionless, holding an umbrella above her mother and brother's heads to keep them dry. Although the tears flowed freely from her mother's eyes, and her brother also couldn't help but weep, Serena remained completely calm, an arm wrapped around her mother's shoulders. When it became her turn, the petite blonde teen murmured her prayers and best wishes under her breath, raised the incense sticks just above her head and bowed down low before placing them before her father's tombstone.

"I love you, daddy." Her whispered words were uttered with a melancholy tone, but still, she shed no tears. At that moment, the rain ceased to fall, and a gentle ray of sunlight pushed its way through the dense clouds. Serena returned to her mother's side and whispered something quietly into the older lady's ear, making a small smile appear on both their faces.

Floral offerings were made, and prayers were chanted. Sammy took the time to tell his father about all the big events that happened to him throughout the year, beginning with his adventures in a new town, and starting at a new school. As they reminisced, many more stories and memories were shared, bringing tears and smiles to almost everybody's eyes. Still, Serena remained silent, unwavering and void of all emotion.

Midday signalled the cue for everybody to begin packing up. Both Andrew's and Darien's cars were repacked with boxes of offerings and left over incense. It was time for the family to leave again. Time for Ikuko and Sammy to return to their new home with Yuka, Akio and Lizzie.

"I want to stay here, just a little longer." Serena handed her umbrella to Sammy. The sky was still a sullen grey, but the rain had settled to a light drizzle.

"But Sere, your mother and Sammy will be returning home in an hour, don't you want to see them off at the train station?" Andrew placed a comforting hand on his cousin's shoulder.

"I don't like goodbyes" Serena shook her head slowly before turning her attention to her mother. "Sorry mama, I want to but..."

"It's fine. Stay here." Ikuko understood her daughter. "Be careful you don't catch a cold." She kissed her daughter goodbye and held her in her arms, hugging tightly. "I love you, Usagi. Be a good girl for Andrew and Darien. Don't forget your chores, and please stay safe." After one last hug, Ikuko turned around and took Darien by the arm, talking to him in quiet tones as he walked her to his car.

The wind whipped about momentarily, tousling Serena's long golden locks around her as she stood, staring at the white name written on the grey marble of the tombstone. She didn't know how long she had stood there, completely silent, before a single tear rolled down her icy cheek. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember the sound of his voice anymore, and that one fact alone made her feel completely miserable. She wondered how many other memories she was forgetting? How much longer would it be until the memory of her father slipped away? As her mood fell into a sullen state, the rain began to fall heavier once more, soaking through her clothes and matting her hair down across her face and onto her body.

"Tuxedo Mask..." Serena noticed the shadow of the figure approaching her from behind, and she spun around to meet him. He held out a large black umbrella over both their heads. "What are you-"

"I'm just paying my respects, Miss Moon." The caped man tipped his top hat politely. "Just pretend I'm not here." He motioned for the petite blonde girl to turn around once more, and she followed his instructions, turning her back toward the hero and facing the tombstone once more. A minute of silence passed before a stifled sob escaped Serena's lips.

"Tuxedo Mask..." Her voice cracked as she choked back her tears for long enough to finish her explanation. "I didn't want mama and Sammy to see me cry. I want them to be happy." Her hot tears mingled with the icy rain, cascading down her flushed cheeks. "But I miss papa so much. I wish he didn't..." Her voice grew weak, eventually cracking, and she buried her face into the palms of her hands and sobbed. The umbrella fell from Tuxedo Mask's hands, letting the rain soak through them both as it fell heavier and heavier. He reached out, pulling Serena backwards into his chest as he wrapped his arms tightly across her shoulders, wrapping the cape around her body. Her whole body shook with the agony of her reflections and the sorrow in her heart. "I feel like it's happening all over again. Like I'm losing my family again. They're all leaving me and it feels exactly how it did this time, last year."

"You have me now. I'm here." Tuxedo Mask rested his chin on the top of Serena's head. "You don't have to be afraid around me. I'm here for you. You can cry as much as you like. I promise, I won't let go until you're ready." Even though Darien had made his mind up to distance himself from Serena until he found the Silver Crystal, he felt as though every fibre of his body was being drawn to her at that moment. Like the need to comfort her was so powerful, that no matter how much he tried, he simply couldn't pull himself away, nor did he want to at that moment. He found a way around his promise though, by transforming into his alter ego. He may not have been able to comfort Serena as his civilian form, but maybe she would be more willing to open up to him as Tuxedo Mask.

In that sense, he was able to form a bond, a connection with her without having to deal with the additional feelings and awkward conversations as they passed each other in the hallway, or as they sat together at the dining table. Serena was able to open up her heart without the fear of being judged or pitied, for Tuxedo Mask was not the type to do so, and more importantly, she didn't have to face him every single day. A silent, mutual bond and relationship was formed as Serena stood, weeping in the arms of the masked warrior. As her hiccupped tears became less frequent, and her sobs died down into quiet whimpers, Tuxedo Mask brushed the hair away from Serena's eyes.

"The New year is around the corner." He whispered gently. "Here's to a fresh beginning."

* * *

. . .

There you go everyone, a new chapter! The next one will be a New Years Eve chapter which I'll probably post on New Year's Day. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday and indulged in lots of yummy food, shared with lovely friends and family. Get your New Year's resolutions ready, because in a few days, it'll be 2013. Stay safe, and I can't wait to see you all in the New Year.

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	22. A New Tradition? New Year's Magic!

Told ya I'd be back in a few days. With less than 5 minutes left of New Year's day in Australia, I'm posting this chapter up in order to keep my promise to you all. It's also my birthday today (yaaaaay!) and a special shout out to my birthday twin- _**Stephumz**_, and any other New Years babies out there reading this- Happy Birthday, and Happy New Year to everybody! ^_^

_**Thanks to: **_kittykat, Guest, usako, missscatterbrain, SerentiyMoonGodness, Loca8892, moon86, LoveInTheBattleField, stephumz, Guest, amethysth, SailorMoon489, nessa, Sailor Rallison _**and**_ CharmedSerenity3 _**for reviewing the previous chapter**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 22- A New Tradition? New Year's Magic!

. . .

"Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right"

_[Oprah Winfrey]_

. . .

Serena giggled quietly to herself as she sat on the rooftop ledge and gazed up at the coloured lanterns, seemingly floating about lazily in the night sky. She lifted the plastic cup up to her mouth once more and licked her pink strawberry flavoured lips before taking another sip of happiness.

"There you are." Darien turned the corner to find the petite blonde swinging her legs about, happily giggling to herself. "What are you drinking?"

"It's red." Serena giggled once again, her cheeks were flushed almost as brightly as the beverage she held in her hand. "It's punch. It's red this year!" She lifted the cup over her head to show her acquaintance. "It tastes like strawberry sugar clouds."

"Oh, Dumpling Head," Darien shook his head as he sat down beside the tipsy teen and she leant her head up against his arm. "I told you to stay away from the punch this year."

"But Dar, it's red, and I like red!" Serena giggled for a moment before seemingly sobering rather quickly. "You know," She grinned broadly. "You kissed me about this time last year. Right where we're sitting now."

"No, _you _kissed _me_, Dumpling Head." Darien rolled his eyes as he corrected her. "And I thought we weren't going to mention that ever again, on your orders."

"There were fireworks." She sighed as she slumped her posture and slid her head down his arm and onto his lap. Serena looked up at Darien, then up at the twinkling night sky, and sighed softly. "It was nice, wasn't it?"

"The fireworks?"

"No." Serena shook her head quickly as she propped herself up with her hands beside her and looked straight into Darien's eyes. "The kiss. It was nice." Serena smiled warmly as her eyes languidly fluttered open and shut. She nibbled on her bottom lip gently, drawing Darien's attention away from her clear cerulean eyes, and dangerously down to her strawberry liqueur stained lips.

The rhythm of Darien's heart began to soar, dancing to its own tumultuous allegro-driven symphony. He knew that it wasn't right for him to be dropping his guard around her so easily, but he was torn. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stay away. Much like the endless tango between the ocean and the shore, the harder Darien tried to pull away, the more he felt compelled to rush back to Serena. It was inevitable. After all, the Moon controls the tides of the Earth, and it was that same magnetism that was at play, waging war with Darien's feelings at that moment.

Careful not to make any fast, sudden movements, he leant forward slowly, like a hunter approaching this innocent doe-eyed prey. The warmth of Serena's breath cut through the bitter chill of the night as it spread across Darien's lips ever so gently, begging him in an almost teasingly cruel manner, daring him to come closer. Just as he was about to cave and accept her invitation, Serena let out a short gasp and another giggle. Pulling away swiftly, she jolted up violently, onto her feet. A familiar beeping noise resounded from her coat pocket. As Serena reached for her communicator, her hand found Darien's who had reached over in protest.

"Don't." He glanced up at Serena who was obviously still quite tipsy from the alcohol in the punch. "Don't answer that."

"I have to." Serena slowly began to sober up as the importance of the call seemed to rouse her from her foggy consciousness.

"Whoever it is, they can handle it. You can't answer that call, not tonight. Not like this." Darien rose to his feet, still clutching hold of Serena's hand. "Don't go."

"It's important!" Serena stomped her foot like a spoiled child and struggled to wrangle her arm free. "I'm perfectly fine!" She pulled away and demonstrated her co-ordination by walking in a perfectly straight line. To Darien's slight amusement, it seemed as though Serena did a better job of walking in a straight line when she was drunk as opposed to when she was sober. "I have to answer this!" Serena pouted, and within a heartbeat she had bolted away and disappeared down the fire escape. Darien cursed under his breath as he sprang to his feet and closely followed the somewhat drunken heroine of the night.

"Serena, I've located a monster on the rooftop of the Crown Arcade. It seems to be hypnotising everybody on the streets below." Luna frowned as she spoke. It irritated her that the girl that she had chosen to lead the Sailor Solders didn't seem to be listening to her at all. "Serena! Are you listening to me?"

"Yes yes, Luna. You're such a grumpy face!" Serena giggled as made her way to the balcony of her apartment.

"I hope so, because you're the only one I can get hold of to stop this monster. Everybody else seems away for the holidays. We're counting on you, Sailor Moon!" Luna yelled through the communicator as Serena shut the lid and transformed into the fearless, yet somewhat flimsy legged, protector of Tokyo.

Tuxedo Mask cursed under his breath once again as he stalked Serena from two steps behind and watched as she leapt and bounded from balcony to balcony and across rooftops in a seemingly carefree, almost death-wish-like manner. On a couple occasions, it looked as though she wasn't going to make the distance between buildings, and Tuxedo Mask could have sworn he broke a couple molars, clenching his jaw tightly and swallowing his heart back into its rightful place within his chest cavity. It took a Herculean feat of restraint on his behalf not to yell out profanities at her. After all, he knew that had he have done so, she probably would have been distracted enough to actually lose balance and plummet down to the streets of the city below, so instead, Tuxedo Mask silently watched from a closer-than-usual position.

"Hooold it right theeere!" Sailor Moon squeaked loudly as her red boots clicked confidently onto the concrete of the Crown Arcade rooftop.

"Who are you?" The horned beast turned from its task and faced its new opponent.

"I am Sailor Moon! Champion of love and justice! I will right wrongs and triumph over... something something..." Sailor Moon's voice trailed off as she furrowed her eyebrows. "You know what? I've totally forgotten what I was going to say." The long haired heroine giggled out loud and scratched her head in deep contemplation.

"Hypno!" The blue skinned demon swung about its arms like long, heavy pendulums, and Sailor Moon, in her weakened and already somewhat disoriented state, fell immediately into a trance. She walked straight towards the demon.

"Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask called out from his position. She made no indication of hearing him. "Sure," Tuxedo Mask rolled his eyes as he muttered under his breath. "Let's give a drunk teenager magical powers and send her into battle, what could possibly go wrong?"

"Oh, is that ice cream? I love ice cream!" Sailor Moon giggled and swooned a little as she continued to stroll towards the edge of the building. Tuxedo Mask hurled a dozen razor sharp red roses towards the monster, successfully striking it across its face. The demon let out a loud screech in disgust and eyed down its new opponent briefly before deciding to back down and shimmered away into the darkness of the night. Unfortunately, it seemed that breaking the hold of the demon, had no affect on breaking the hypnotic spell on Sailor Moon, and she continued to step closer towards the edge of the rooftop.

"Sailor Moon! Wake up!" Tuxedo Mask sprinted towards the trance-induced blonde girl and only managed to grasp hold of her hand as she stepped off the edge of the building. The pull of gravity caused Tuxedo mask to fall heavily against the concrete floor of the rooftop and he winced out in pain, knowing that he had at least bruised a number of his ribs. Sailor Moon's weight pulled at his body and the sound of Tuxedo Mask's shoes grazing along the concrete floor gave the audible confirmation that he too was beginning to slip off the building, being dragged down by the now conscious fighter of justice.

"Where am I?" Sailor Moon blinked a number of times and cringed as her arm felt as though it was being torn apart at the shoulder.

"Don't... let go..." Tuxedo Mask gritted his teeth as he placed his left hand on the ground in front of him in an attempt to stop from slipping off the edge of the building. The grit and gravel of the rooftop tore through the thin material of his white glove and dug into the flesh of his palm as he desperately tried to stop himself from moving any closer to the edge. "Grab hold of my shoulder. You're going to have to climb up my arm."

"Tuxedo Mask... Please don't let go. I don't want to die." Sailor Moon began to sob quietly as she looked down at the street below her.

"I can't hold on for much longer." The caped warrior glanced over at his left hand. The rough grittiness of the cement had managed to draw blood as his ghastly white knuckles showed the strain that he was placing on his hand. "Climb!" He yelled out in desperation. Apparently it was just the motivation that Sailor Moon needed to swing her other arm up and over Tuxedo Mask's neck. With the leverage from his left arm, Tuxedo Mask lifted his right arm into the air, pulling back as he did so in order to bring his damsel in closer to his body. With one last effort, Tuxedo Mask pulled back and managed to winch Sailor Moon up and over the edge of the rooftop, releasing hold of her hand only when she was safe, and clasping his left wrist in silent agony.

"You did it." Sailor Moon breathed heavily between grateful sobs. "You saved my life."

At that very moment, the sound of the rowdy crowd on the rooftop of the apartment building a couple blocks away indicated that the midnight New Years countdown had started. Tuxedo Mask relinquished hold of his now, somewhat numb hand, and silently rose to his feet. Extending his right hand, he gingerly lifted Sailor Moon up onto her feet and simply watched as she raised his left hand up to inspect his injuries.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to cause you so much trouble." Sailor Moon stared at his wounded hand and fought back tears. With the sound of the jeering crowd in the background, and the adrenaline still coursing madly within his veins, Tuxedo Mask did the only sane thing he could possibly think of doing, considering the circumstances. With his right hand, he lifted Sailor Moon's chin up, forcing her eyes to meet his, and as the midnight countdown drew closer to an end, he pressed his lips against hers.

Fireworks lit up the sky in a frenzy of colour and exploding light. Sailor Moon found herself swooning up against the warm, toned body of her saviour. Her lips locked against his as he passionately, almost hungrily devoured the still lingering remnants of strawberry essence from her mouth. She moaned softly, allowing him to deepen the kiss and his tongue playfully licked against hers in a sinfully tantalising way. The kiss set her soul alight as the thunderous lights in the sky danced about them, reminiscent of the little bursts of excitement that each and every, fervent caress of their lips was doing to their hearts. Emboldened by the rush of hormones and adrenaline within her system, Sailor Moon found herself wrapping an arm around the tall man's body as the other snaked its way up around the back of his neck. She gently brushed her finger nails against the nape of his neck and relished the way he shuddered against her. In a last flurry of crackles and spluttering of fire light, the New Year's fireworks display came to an end.

"Darien..." She whispered between kisses and didn't notice as the mysterious man before her stiffened his posture. Sailor Moon let out a small whimper in protest as she felt the man within her arms pull away, holding her at arm's length. Still somewhat groggy from the alcohol, it took the petite blonde a little over a moment to realise her mistake and she clasped her hand over her mouth in pure mortification.

"I... I'm so sorry." She whispered a barrage of apologies. "I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to say his name, honestly." The masked hero simply stared down at her, evidently trying to re-compose himself. Lowering his arms back down to his side, he simply stared at the teary blonde. She gave a small, uncharacteristic yawn and rubbed her eyes. The alcohol had finally caught up with her. Sailor Moon struggled to maintain her energy levels and as she swooned one last time, she detransformed and fell into the arms of Tuxedo Mask.

"I told you to stay away from the punch, didn't I?" The masked hero smiled gently as he wrapped his cape around the unconscious teen and carried her back home.

* * *

"Oww... my head." Serena crawled down the hallway and collapsed on the living room floor in a groaning heap of agony.

"At least we know she can keep her drinks down." Andrew stepped over Serena's limp body and sat down at the dining table.

"What the hell happened last night?" Serena reached over, pulling Gandalf down from his seat and wrapping him around her head to shield her eyes from the piercing, mocking sunlight.

"I told you to stay away from the punch, didn't I Dumpling Head?" Darien leant back in his chair and loudly slurped away at his coffee. Serena let out yet another groan as she rolled over onto her back and looked up at the insensitive heartless man above her.

"What... what happened to your hand?" Serena winced and sat up, trying to ignore the throbbing jackhammers in her head. The image of a top hat and a cape flashed through her mind's eye and Serena shuddered slightly. It almost felt as though her brain was trying to tell her something, but her stomach protested at any form of thought or feeling other than that of pure disgust and a feeling of seediness.

"What, you don't remember?" Darien placed his coffee cup down on the table and pointed at his bandaged left hand. He watched as Serena slowly shook her head from left to right, careful not to make any sudden movements. "You're a terrible drunk." Darien smirked. "You tried to pick a fight with Mrs. Beidermann's cactus collection, and when I tried to save you from that giant Mexican cactuszilla, you threw one at me."

"Oh my lord!" Serena leapt to her feet and reached for Darien's hand to try to see the damage. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to cause you so much trouble!" A feeling of urgency and déjà vu swept across Serena and her pulse began to race as she watched Darien begin to grin broadly. He lifted his hand up, resting it against Serena's chin to ensure that she was looking his straight in the eyes.

"Don't be sorry." He continued to grin, which made Serena feel increasingly uncomfortable even though this encounter felt somewhat familiar. "I know I'm not."

* * *

. . .

A short NYE chapter, but at least we got some action! I've been _seriously loving_ all the reviews and feedback I've gotten so far (_amethysth_, I'm looking at you!) and I'm so grateful for all the holiday & New Year well wishes. I'm sorry I haven't had the time to reply personally to the reviews, but I hope you've all been enjoying yourselves and staying safe.

The next chapter won't be out for a week or two while I focus some of my attention on my own New Year's resolutions. 2013 will be a great year, I can feel it, but it's only as great as we make it. I have at least one new story in the making and a serious of short stories and vignettes to be released too. Also, I should be finishing Akai Ito soon! So thank you all for your reviews and support, and to quote Tuxie in the previous chapter:

"Here's to a fresh beginning"

Much Love,  
_**Crystal Saturn**_


	23. Change on the Horizon! Dar's Hidden List

Through the epic roaring bushfires of southern Australia, the torrential flood-bringing rain of northern Australia, and daily Facebook distractions, I bring you this chapter. Apologies for the delay, but as many of you may already know, I've actually posted up a new short story. That's right. Desperate for some form of procrastination, I birthed a new story while temporarily stuck on this one. Two chapters away from completing _**Akai Ito**_, and instead, I write _**Liar, Liar!**_ Unbelievable. So anyway… ta da!

_**Thanks to:**_ Guest, Guest, D, Lunachan90, amethysth, Twiggirl06, Miss Katrina Malfoy, Maiden A, kbtjmandy, Usako, serenityselena, princess moonie, CharmedSerenity3, nessa, Guest, kittykat, PhOenIxJaDeBLaCK, stephumz, SerentiyMoonGodness, MinnieMoosi, LoveInTheBattleField, SailorMoon489, Infinity 4 3ver, Sailor Rallison, devilsangels11287, James Birdsong _**and**_ vievere _**for kindly reviewing the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 23 – Change on the horizon. Dar's Hidden List.

"Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering 'it will be happier'..."  
_[-__Alfred Tennyson__]_

"Right!" As Andrew walked out of his bedroom and into the kitchen area, he wrung his hands together with a determined gleam in his eyes. Holding his little slip of paper up, he waved it about in the air, glancing briefly over to Serena, who was still lying on the floor under the dining table, and Darien who poked the proverbial bear by nudging her with his toes. "Who's got their New Year's resolutions ready?"

"Nuuughhh..." Came Serena's less than enthusiastic response.

"Do we _have_ to do that again this year?" Darien rolled his eyes, sipping away at his morning coffee.

"Yes!" Andrew slammed his hands on the table, startling his other two housemates. "Look how well it went for you two last year. I have a feeling this is going to be a great year with lots of change." The green eyed blond tossed a slip of paper and a pen each to Serena and Darien. "You have until the end of the day." He added. "And be serious about it. Any unresolved resolutions from last year may be added to this year's one."

"Nuuuughhh..." Repeated Serena from under the table.

"Here." Andrew handed her a thick grey green concoction with red lumps. "Drink this. It's my special recipe for a hangover."

"What is it?" Serena scrunched her nose as she looked at the sludgy beverage in the tall glass before her. It smelled like mouldy dirt… or was it dirty mould?

"You don't want to know." Darien added quickly. "Trust me. Just close your eyes, hold your nose and try to drink that as fast as you can before tasting it." He reached over to the centre of the table, picking up a dark chocolate bon bon and unwrapped it quickly.

Smack

That was the sound of Serena's head hitting the underside of the dining table as she desperately tried to escape, wanting to douse her mouth with bleach to remove the taste.

"YUUUCK!" Was all she could manage as she crawled out from underneath the table. Darien swiftly yanked her up by the elbow and popped the dark chocolate in her mouth, holding his hand over her lips to keep it in as it melted over her tongue. Slowly, she began to relax again Darien released his hold of the girl. She sat on the floor, sucking at the piece of dark chocolate, glaring daggers up at Andrew.

"What do you taste now?" Andrew queried with a smirk across his face and an eyebrow raised.

"Strawberries and melon." Serena slowly rocked back and forth, she cringed slightly, remembering the awful sludgy taste in her mouth only moments ago.

"You have dark chocolate in your mouth." Darien held up the candy wrapper.

"Why does it taste like strawberries and melon?"

"It's the magic of Andrew's Miraculous Hangover Cure." The blond man grinned as he took a bow. "Does your head hurt?"

"Not as much." Serena admitted.

"And your stomach?" Andrew continued.

"Settled." The petite blonde nodded in approval.

"Voila!" Andrew threw his hands in the air. "Maybe one of your resolutions should be not to get drunk again this year." He winked, earning himself a raspberry from Serena in return.

"So anyway, what are your plans for this year, 'Rena?"

"I don't know," She shrugged. "It's my second last year, so classes are important, I guess."

"Do you know what you want to do after High School? College? University? A job?"

"I was thinking University." She rose to her feet and took a seat at the dining table. "I don't know. I thought maybe..." She mulled the idea in her head once more, hoping that no one would pick up on her secret desire to impress Darien. "I mean, I'd be horrible as a doctor, and there's no way I'd get the grades either, but maybe I'd be okay as a nurse. I like helping people. Or maybe I'll be a teacher?"

"If you want to get into nursing, you'll probably have to take Biology this year and next, and that involves cutting things up." Darien warned. "And you'll have to study extremely hard." He was astounded at Serena's sudden interest in the medical profession. Not only was he quite impressed, but it also excited him; the thought of being able to tutor her in her subjects. In fact, it probably excited him a little more than he would ever care to admit.

Serena on the other hand, paled at the thought of having to dissect animals. Her heart sank even further at the thought of having to study hard.

"What about you, Dar?" Andrew strolled idly into the kitchen to prepare his breakfast. "You graduate in a few weeks, don't you?"

"Yeah. Only from my undergrad degree in medicine. I'll be getting straight into my postgraduate work after that though." Darien shifted the papers beside him, pulling a couple onto his lap, hiding one in particular. It was his application to study abroad.

His convenor had sought him out specifically, since Darien was due to be awarded the Dux medal and graduating with high honours. Harvard University, in America, offered one international student per year a full scholarship to complete their post graduate doctorate on their medical research campus. It was certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity, and one that he would be a fool to pass up, but for some reason, something cast doubt in his mind, holding him back.

"Wow, that's so cool!" Serena exclaimed. "So do you get to wear one of those capey things and the funny hat with the dangly thingy?"

"Do you mean the mortarboard?" Andrew corrected.

"Yeah, sure." Serena nodded, still uncertain.

"If I decide to go to graduation." Darien admitted. Events like that had never really been a big thing for him. Graduation always involved gushing, over emotional parents, proud and boasting of their children's achievements. Darien had never really had any family to cheer him on from the audience, nor did he expect any praise.

"You have to go! We have to take pictures! It'll be amazing!" Serena jumped up and down in excitement. It seemed as though she was more excited about Darien graduating than he was. A spark of happiness ignited and fluttered in Darien's stomach at the sight of Serena cheering and clapping wildly as he received his diploma.

"I suppose..." Darien caved, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"And what about you, Andrew-the-awesome? What are your plans for this year?" Andrew felt the need to interrupt the cute moment between the two. Frankly, the disinterest coming from the other two, regarding his day-to-day activities alarmed him. Sure, he was _Darina_'s biggest fan, but as their relationship progressed, millimetre by millimetre, Andrew felt as though he was beginning to become more and more the third wheel in the apartment. "Well, I hope to finish off my Master's degree in Social Psychology and Human Behaviour so I can finally finish the law part of my double degree that I deferred a few years ago."

"Wow, you were doing a double degree?" Serena glanced over at her cousin. "No wonder you're still at Uni!"

"Why else did you think I was still suffering through the occasional lecture as well as planning experiments?" Andrew raked his fingers through his hair, slightly frustrated.

Serena shrugged casually. "I just thought you were lazy, like me."

"Get out." Andrew deadpanned and pointed to the front door, much to the amusement of Darien. "You're not welcome to live under the same roof as me anymore."

* * *

"So, I have a playfully light hearted yet serious suggestion about what you could add to your list." Andrew casually strolled into the living room area, noticing Darien struggling with his resolution list.

"I'm not telling Serena I have feelings for her." Darien responded flatly.

"Awww come on, why not? Tuxie and Moonie are the best super hero couple since ever! The whole of Tokyo- no, the whole of Japan knows it. You two are a great team, and it's because of the evident chemistry between you two."

"We're both in this for two totally different reasons." Darien began to explain. "She has some weird altruistic motivation to save the world, whereas I only want to find the truth about who I am." Darien tapped his pen against his thigh. He struggled to suppress the agitation in his tone before continuing. "I don't mean my childhood memories, I mean the memories I have where I'm somebody else, dressed in full armour and wielding a sword. I don't know what it is, but I need to find out more about me and why I'm having those visions. Unlike Serena, my motivation is completely selfish."

"But at the end of the day, you still save her." Andrew sat down on the sofa, rearranging the books and magazines on the coffee table. "That seems pretty unselfish to me."

Darien paused in thought. "I save her because not saving her would be like pushing Bambi into the path of an oncoming vehicle."

"Isn't this good then? It's like being partners in crime fighting, right?"

"No." Darien's eyes grew a darker shade of blue as he spoke. "I don't want her relying on me because eventually, there will come a day when I won't be there to save her. I will have what I want, and she'll be left to fight her own battles. I'm not like her; I don't care about anyone other than myself."

"You say that, but your actions show otherwise. You could never just leave her to fight her own battles." Andrew argued, knowing that pressing Darien's buttons would be the best way to get him to realise the truth. "Maybe, at the very beginning, the thought of leaving her to fight her own battles may have strayed into your mind, but you can't do that anymore and you know it. You're in too deep to back away now. Why don't you just admit it?" Andrew pressed on, a coy smile presenting itself. "Say it out loud. Just once, to yourself. You're in love with Serena."

"Drew, seriously man. Drop it!" Darien leaned forward in his seat to emphasise his serious tone. "Love would never be possible between two people like us."

"Between a man and a woman? Between two house mates? Between two people who have been quarrelling on and off for a year? Between a girl and her cousins best friend? Between two people evidently smitten with each other-"

"You know what I mean, Drew." Darien frowned.

"Love's not possible between two heroes?" Andrew scoffed. "Are you kidding? Haven't you ever watched The Incredibles? What about Mr fantastic and the Invisible Woman?"

"And what about all the other broken relationships?" Darien interrupted his best friend before he could get too carried away. "Cyclops and Phoenix? Clark Kent and Lana Lang? Wolverine and just about anybody?" He added. "It can't happen. If anything were to happen to her..." Darien's voice trailed away along with his thoughts at that moment. "I'm not as pure as she is. The line between justice and vengeance blurs too easily or me. It would destroy me."

"Whether you want it to happen or not, it already has. Whether you say it out loud right now or not, you know it to be true anyway." Andrew shrugged his shoulders before turning his body upside down on the couch, slinging his legs over the back and allowing his head to dangle from the cushions. "I know how you were the night of Keiko and Takato's wedding. Reika told me-"

"Reika..." Darien hissed under his breath, knowing full well that it was only a matter of time until she betrayed him. They told each other _everything_.

"But it was also plain to see. Smeared all over your face was a look of complete and utter helplessness. You were smitten, and there was no denying it." Andrew kicked his feet up in the air like a child. "You two were inseparable all night. We couldn't pry you from each other's arms even if the room was on fire."

"Is there a point to this?" Darien impatiently tapped the back of his pen against his notepad.

"My point is," Andrew rolled over, right way up momentarily. "You can't just bury away your feelings for someone and run away from it all."

"Watch me, Drew." Darien rose to his feet, feeling as though this conversation was merely going around and round in circles with no end in sight.

"But what about 'Rena? Don't you think that she deserves to know? Wouldn't you think that she would be over the moon to hear that the man she's been pining for, for over a year now, feels the same way about her?"

"She's not in love with me. She can't be." Darien picked up his belongings before he started to walk down the hall.

"Why do you say that?" Andrew called out after the tall brooding man.

"Because I'm not good enough for her." And with that, Darien's bedroom door shut quietly behind him.

* * *

As lunchtime rolled around, a light tapping on the door distracted Darien from the list in front of him. He rose from his desk chair and opened his bedroom door to find Serena, standing with a bouquet of white roses in hand.

"Oh Dumpling, they're beautiful." Darien clasped his hands together, bending his left leg at the knee as he raised his foot in a girly manner. "You shouldn't have!"

"They're not for you, idiot." Serena rolled her eyes, shooting the man a dubious look, silently questioning his sanity.

"How did you know that roses are my favourite?" Darien continued the charade nonetheless, leaning over to sniff the soft scented flowers. Serena moved the bouquet away, smacking the man gently across the face with them. "Well if they're not for me, then why are you holding them while standing at my door?" Darien asked, yet refusing to give Serena any time to respond. "You know, if you wanted to go on that romantic date with me, you could've just asked."

"Forget it!" Serena threw her arms in the air with exasperation, causing Darien to laugh at her frustrations. "I'll just go myself." She turned to trudge down the hallway, but he caught her hand in his.

"Where are you going, Dumpling?" His grin died down into a heartbreakingly cheeky smile as he asked. The light of laughter still sparkling in his eyes.

"To see your parents, of course." Serena glanced down at the bouquet of white roses in her hands. Darien's smile faded slightly, replaced with one of appreciation and admiration.

"Sere, you really didn't have t-"

"I wanted to." Serena interrupted eagerly. "I mean, you were there for me that day... and after all you've done for me, getting my family here early so I could see them on Christmas..." Serena hesitated, a sudden bout of shyness flooding her senses. "And you know, I've met your parents before, so I thought I should come and say 'hi' to them again."

Darien's smile turned into a grin once more as he nodded in understanding. Stepping into the hallway, he shut his bedroom door behind him. "Sure, Dumpling. Let's go." He draped an arm around the considerate teen. "We should keep them up to date with everything that's going on between us. We'll let them know all the romantic things that we did on our one year anniversary."

"Our what?!"

* * *

"So do we all have our resolutions ready?" Andrew strolled into the living and dining area only to find Darien reclined back onto his usual chair, napping, and Serena with her head down on the dining table, also napping. "Hey! Wake up!" Andrew clapped his hands loudly. "Where are your resolutions?" He held up his list.

"I've only got four. I'm still missing one." Serena grumbled, lifting her head up to find a sticky note stuck to the side of her face.

"Me too." Darien held his list up, waving it about.

"Need any help?" Andrew queried to a mixed response. Ignoring Darien's groan of rejection, he turned to both him and Serena. "What's the one piece of advice I tell you most?"

"Not to take the highway between 3 and 5 in the afternoon?" Darien shrugged in a noncommittal manner.

"Okay, besides that." Andrew smacked his best friend across the back of the head.

"Learn to trust and listen to your instincts." Darien finally gave a serious response, much to Andrew's approval, before the blond man turned to his little cousin.

"Follow your heart?" Serena responded, uncertain of the correct response.

"Great, now combine the two and put them both on your lists." Content that he had solved the issue of their last two resolutions, Andrew headed into the kitchen and picked up the telephone, calling his mother to wish her and the family a good New Year.

"But then we'll have the same resolution." Serena pouted slightly.

"Hmm... really?" Andrew's voice dripped of unbridled sarcasm. "Well maybe if you both listened to me more then you wouldn't be in that predicament. Any protests, Daz?" The blond man watched as his friend shook his head, and he began to dial.

"None." Darien held up a hand in defeat, far preferring this resolution to the one that Andrew had tried to pitch earlier. He walked over to the fridge and placed his list next to Andrews. With only a few hours left, the New Year's resolution lists were finally complete.

**Andrew's NY Resolution List**  
1. Cut down on Sugary foods. Eat more fruit & veges  
2. Remember Reika's birthday  
3. Get more sleep  
4. Plan & book Reika & My trip to Paris  
5. Learn to play the guitar.

**Serena's NY Resolution List**  
1. Read a book a month  
2. Treat myself to a girly day and a make-over  
3. Gain more courage, become a strong, confident, independent woman.  
4. Go on my first romantic date with a cute guy  
5. Follow my heart. Listen to and trust my instincts.

**Darien's NY Resolution List**  
1. Try to be more positive. Less snarky remarks.  
2. Stay organised- Keep to-do lists  
3. Drink a glass of red wine every day  
4. Try Foreign Foods  
5. Follow my heart. Listen to and trust my instincts

"Are you going to become an alcoholic?" Serena glanced up at the tall, dark haired man beside her, scrunching her nose in distain.

"No. One glass of red wine a day is supposed to be good for the heart." Darien explained over the chatter of Andrew on the phone around the corner.

"Is there something wrong with your heart?" Serena frowned with concern. Gently, she lifted her hand and slipped it beneath his jacket to feel his heart beat.

"I- uh..." Darien's breath caught at the back of his throat at her sudden, almost intimate touch. "No, Dumpling." He reached for her hand, removing it gently from the place on his chest. "There's nothing wrong with my heart."

"Really?" Serena tilted her head to the side curiously. "Because it seemed to be beating really quickly, and quite hard too!" She nibbled on her lip with nervous concern. "It was like you had just run a marathon! You should probably get that checked out."

"What about you, huh? _#4- Go on my first romantic date with a cute guy?_ I thought we'd already covered that when Andrew set us up at Restaurante Luna." A smug look of satisfaction graced Darien's features, acting like a mask as he tried to calm his nerves beneath the surface. Something about her touch just then had made his insides flutter uncontrollably, and his pulse race like never before. For a brief moment, as Serena's fingers pressed gently against his body, feeling for his heartbeat, an undefinable image flashed in Darien's mind, giving him a strong, sudden urge to kiss her.

"Don't be ridiculous," Serena pouted, huffing her bangs out of her face. "That doesn't count."

"Why not?"

"Because you're _so _not cute." Serena stuck out her tongue playfully before walking over to the balcony to get some fresh air. A broad grin spread across Darien's face as he noticed her cheeks flush with embarrassment. There was no way that Serena didn't regard him as attractive. She knew it, he knew it, but her playful denial of it made it even more fun to think about.

* * *

Turning the next page, Darien sat back in his chair, reading the next question. He lifted his reading glasses off his face slightly, massaging the bridge of his nose.

_Section C_

_Q5. In 1000 words, explain why you think you should be considered for the Harvard Institute of Medical Sciences International Student Scholarship._

It took Darien a mere 25 minutes to complete the mini-essay question. As he checked over his application once more, he sighed quietly, wondering if this was the right thing to do. It was something that he had truly wanted and dreamed of for most of his life.

As a young child, Darien sat in the hospital bed, he could barely hold back his tears. He was terrified and confused, not quite understanding what had happened or why he couldn't remember. He knew he had parents, and he knew they had both passed away, but for some reason he could never quite remember what they looked like, or what they were like. Were they nice? Were they good people? Did they read to him or cuddle him often? Did they love him? He was frightened, and alone he cried until one night, a hospital doctor walked past and noticed his distress.

Many years had passed since that night, it seemed almost a lifetime away. Darien had long forgotten the Doctor's exact words, but knew that whatever the man had said, it had stopped his tears and given him the strength and resolve to continue on with his life, striving for excellence along the way. Ever since that night, Darien had always dreamed of becoming a doctor, and maybe one day, personally thanking the man who had given him hope.

Slotting the application papers into a large A4 envelope, Darien sealed it carefully and placed it decidedly on the end of his desk. He reached over and tugged on the first drawer by his desk, pulling out two slips of paper. Leaning back in his desk chair, Darien sighed, letting himself smile slightly as he read the two lists in his hands.

**Darien's NY Resolution List**  
1. Take anger management classes _√ Check!_  
2. Save a life_ √ Check!_  
3. Learn to dance _√ Check!_  
4. Buy a pet rabbit _√ Check!_  
5. Fall in love. _√ Check!_

**Darien's NY Resolution List (Draft)  
**1. Collect as many of the 7 Rainbow Crystals I can  
2. Find the Moon Princess  
3. Discover what my dreams mean.  
4. Reveal the identity of Tuxedo Mask to Sailor Moon.  
5. Kiss Serena again.

* * *

**. . .**

So I'm thinking that I should've probably made it a NY resolution of my own to be a little more consistent with my updates huh? Oh, why must I fritter away so much of my time on Facebook? I took so long getting this chapter out that it looks like the next chapter will be a Valentines one already! Once again, sorry this took so long, I'll get cracking on the next chapter- to be out before Valentines ^_^

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	24. A Date Between 'Just Friends'

This is a few hours late.. sorry! I've been out sick with an uber-cold. Bedridden and everything! Barely able to open my eyes for the past 3 days, but with some TLC from my beloved boyfriend I'm getting better! Yay! Here's the Valentines chapter *hugs all round*

_**Thanks to:**_ MissTexMex, smfan4ever72, Lina2121, Lunachan90, MinnieMoosi, AM9, angeljme, Guest, Guest, kbtjmandy, merangelgal, Guest, Perfect Beauty, SerentiyMoonGodness, amethysth, KyouyaxCloud, missscatterbrain325, Guest, Miss Katrina Malfoy, Usako, Guest, SailorMoon489, LoveInTheBattleField _**and**_ devilsangels11287 _**for reviewing the previous chapter**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 24 – A Date Between Just Friends.

"Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs."  
_[-William Shakespeare]_

"I'm home!" Serena hollered through clenched teeth as she dragged her shopping bags through the front door. Hurling a few of the bags onto the counter she winced at the loud crashing noise a few of the tins made against the bench top "Oh no, the eggs!" She rummaged through the bags to check on the delicate ingredients.

"What are you doing up so early?" Darien groaned as he popped his head around the corner. His hair was in a state of disarray and judging by the strained look in his eyes, he had just woken up. "It's a Saturday." He groaned, slowly padding his way into the kitchen in search of caffeine, wearing only his boxer shorts.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Serena enthusiastically flung her arms around the tall dark haired man, catching him off guard. His posture became rigid under this unexpected display of affection. He stood, bleary eyed and dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you too, dumpling." With a hesitant hand, he reached out to pat her on the head. Serena began to blush profusely as she realised the warmth she was feeling against her face was due to direct skin-on-skin contact with Darien's bare chest. He too noticed a potential problem with having Serena's body pressed up against his virtually naked self and gently pushed her away before things became a lot more awkward than they already were. Clearing his throat loudly, he turned away from her and began to prepare his coffee. "Oh right, your Valentine's dinner is tonight."

"That's right." Serena had also turned away and mindlessly began to shuffle and organise her ingredients. "You... will be here tonight right? You didn't make any last minute plans did you?"

"No no, I'll be home for dinner. I've got to go to university today to work on a last minute group assignment but I will definitely be home before dinner time." Darien turned and leant back against the counter, taking a slow sip of his coffee.

"Good morning, bright eyes," Andrew popped his head around the corner as he tied his work apron around his waist. "Hey Daz."

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Serena bounced across the kitchen to pounce on her favourite cousin. She wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace. He pulled back slightly, chuckling to himself.

"You'll squash the bear!" He smiled, pulling a small plush toy from behind his back. Her eyes lit up as she reached out for the pink bear. "You know, I'm glad you're not old enough to be dating. You'd be getting Valentine's gifts left-right-centre. This little guy would have no chance of making any sort of impression." He flicked the little bears' ear. "He's a White Day advance payment."

"Andrreewww!" Serena pouted in protest. "I'm sixteen! I'm _so_ old enough to be dating. Besides, you're only a few years older than me."

"Maybe. But I'm glad you're not dating nevertheless." Andrew grinned as he pinched one of Serena's cheeks. She swatted his hand away with a groan of annoyance. "I have to get going. My shift starts in twenty minutes. I'll be back for dinner. Be careful, if you need anything, give me a call. Have fun cooking."

"Ok, bye bye Andy." Serena smiled, turning back to her recipe.

"See ya, Drew." Darien waved, finishing the last of his coffee before walking back towards the hallway. He reached the end of the room and turned around to watch Serena.

"What are you doing?" She looked up from her recipe for a moment. He watched as she scratched her head and curiously picked up a can of crushed tomatoes.

"I'm wondering if it's safe to leave you at home alone today. I don't want to come home tonight to find that you've burnt the house down to the ground." He smirked as she hurled the plush bear at his head.

* * *

"Okay, so if I put the risotto into this small bowl, I can use it as a mould and flip it upside down onto the plate and... and..." Serena frowned as she shook the bowl vigorously. "And it's stuck... great."

_Ring ring, ring ring_

Serena reached for the phone with one hand, wedging it between her shoulder and her right ear while she attempted to pry the risotto from the bowl mould with a chopstick.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sere, It's Andrew." The bustling sounds of the arcade enveloped his voice. "I'm really really sorry, but I won't be back until late tonight. Reika's come back from her Africa expedition and surprised me, so I'm obliged to take her to dinner. You know... 'cause I'm her boyfriend and all..."

"But Dreeeewww" Serena whined loudly.

"I know. I'm sorry but my hands are tied."

"No, don't worry about it." Serena sighed looking at all the food around her. "We'll have lots of leftovers, but you should definitely take Reika out and show her a good time. Make her feel special, and don't be cheap!"

"I know, I know." Andrew rolled his eyes. "At least you'll have Darien there to keep you company. Save me some dessert. I have to go. I'm sorry 'Rena"

"Have fun tonight." Serena smiled genuinely. Although she was happy that Andrew had a romantic date for tonight, it annoyed her a little that Andrew didn't give her any notice. Putting away the third plate on the bench top, she grumbled slightly to herself. She looked up at the time. It was almost six, dinner was nearly ready and she hadn't heard from Darien.

* * *

"That's another assignment done and out of the way." Darien smiled warmly as he pressed the elevator down button.

"Thanks for offering me a ride home." Darien's study buddy smiled meekly. She opened her mouth to speak once more but was interrupted by the sound of the elevator arriving.

"It's no problem at all. A lady should never have to walk home alone at this time of night. It's dangerous." Darien shrugged as they both entered the elevator.

"Darien, do you have any plans for dinner tonight?" The tall brunette woman asked, but interrupted before he could reply, "Because I'd really like to continue spending the rest of the night with you. There's this really nice restaurant in town that-"

"I'm sorry Sasha, but it's Valentine's Day and I've got plans to-"

"No, no, no, no! Please Darien. Don't make me beg." Once again, the tear filled student didn't give the man time to respond before reaching over to the elevator buttons, flicking the plastic case open and pressing the red stop button. "You have no idea how long I've had these feelings-" The elevator shuddered and squealed in protest as it came to a stop in between levels. She leapt for his arms and attempted to shower him with kisses.

"What are you doing?" Darien roared in annoyance as he firmly grasped the girl by her shoulders and held her at arms length. He pressed the button again in an attempt to resume the stationary elevator. No such luck. With irritation surfacing in this facial expression, he attempted to press every button on the elevator. Nothing.

"I-I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I just panicked. Tears formed in the girl's brown eyes as she backed into a corner of the elevator. "If you haven't already noticed, I like you."

"I really don't have time for this. I'm late enough as it is." Darien reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He attempted to dial Serena's phone. No reception. He cursed under his breath as he buzzed the intercom button of the elevator. After a few minutes of incessant buzzing, a voice responded. "Hi, yes, there are two of us and we're stuck in an elevator. Can you help get us out?"

"Sure." The lady's voice on the other end of the intercom stated flatly. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"Yeah, one of us accidentally pressed the stop button." Darien sighed quietly as he shot his study partner a frustrated glance.

"Oh..."

"Oh? What's oh?"

"Having a good Valentine's Day are we?" The voice on the other line chuckled slightly.

"No, it's not like that at all, but if you could please send someone down here as quickly as possible, I'd appreciate it very much because I _do_ have a dinner to get home to." The desperation in Darien's voice rang through as he ran his right hand through his hair in frustration.

"Well, you might want to put your dinner plans on hold, sir. It's six P.M on a Saturday, Valentine's Saturday no less. I'm going to have to try to call someone in to get you out. It may take a while."

"A while? I don't have a while. I should have been home by now. I have an important dinner to get to-"

"I'm sorry, sir, but it's dinner time on a weekend. _Someone _shouldn't have pushed the button. I'll do what I can." The other end of the intercom clicked, signifying the receiver had been put down. Darien sighed loudly as he slumped back against the elevator wall.

"She must be pretty special." Sasha noted quietly from her place on the elevator floor.

"She's... " ..._Incredible._ His mind filled in the rest of the sentence. Darien struggled to assemble his thoughts. "She... She was looking forward to tonight." He concluded "I didn't want to disappoint her."

After an hour and a half of waiting, Darien and Sasha were finally free from the stuffy elevator. He rushed out of the University and after offering to pay for Sasha's taxi ride home, he began his hunt. Searching through five florists along his way home, he finally stumbled across one that still had roses in stock. Darien rushed home and by eight o'clock, he found himself standing at the front of the apartment, staring at the door. He struggled to catch his breath and wondered what he would see waiting for him on the other side of the door.

_No. Stop it. No cute lingerie. Bad thoughts. Andrew would kill me._

He cautiously entered the apartment, holding the bouquet of roses behind his back. The living area was silent, save the gentle crooning sounds of Michael Buble, barely audible from the stereo. He followed the sound of the music toward the dining area. Fairy lights cast their golden twinkling glow from the wall on the right. Unlit candles centred the dining table which was set for two. Two plates of dinner had been laid out with plastic wrap covering them. Darien peeked under the condensation covered wrapping of one of the dishes.

_Hmmm... lumpy. Mushroom Risotto? Is that a vegetable bake of some sort? Salad... A heart shaped quiche..._

Darien picked up the hand written note that lay nearby and quickly scanned the contents.

"_Tired. Gone to bed. Help yourself.  
Happy Valentine's Day.  
P.S.- Andy, if you're back from your date with Reika, your dessert is in the freezer.  
-Serena"_

Darien groaned silently to himself. Andrew had cancelled on her too. She had spent the whole day preparing a lovely dinner and was stood up by both of them. Darien placed his book bag down near the sofa and crept down the hall towards her room. As he stepped closer, he could hear the soft sounds of her sobbing. Sighing deeply, he raised a hand and knocked gently on her bedroom door. No response. The soft sound of crying stopped. He knocked again.

"Sere?" He asked quietly as he gently opened the door. She quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and buried half her face amongst her arms, pretending to be asleep. Darien leant over her, bringing his face close to hers. He whispered her name softly into her left ear and watched as she tensed and continued her silent pretending game. Walking over to the other side of her bed, Darien sat down beside her and nudged her face repeatedly with the bouquet that he still held within his hands. She sneezed.

"These are for you, Dumpling. Happy Valentine's Day" Darien extended his arms, holding out the bouquet of twelve red roses. She sniffled and sat up slowly, taking the flowers gently, as though they would break. "I'm sorry I'm so late. I didn't mean to be. I got trapped in an elevator and had no reception on my phone. The elevator lady was a snide cow and no help at all and when I finally got out I ran all over town to try to find- " Darien struggled to control his babbling. Serena looked up at him with a confused expression on her face, and his gaze softened. "Dinner smells great."

"You..." Serena's voice cracked as she spoke. "You have lipstick on your eyelid." Darien cringed as he rubbed his eyes furiously.

"It's not what you think. Really. It's actually kind of a funny story. If you'll forgive me for being late, I'll explain it all... during dinner." Darien held out his hand as he stood up from the bed. He watched as Serena's gaze turned from him, to the roses and then to his hand. She nodded gently and placed her hand on his, a small smile tugging at her lips.

* * *

"Shall we go for a walk before dessert?" Darien leant back on his chair, patting his stomach with satisfaction.

"Ugh... exercise?" Serena groaned, leaning her head against the dinner table. "I'm really quite exhausted."

"You know, It was snowing lightly when I left University earlier..." Darien began. "I just thought that you'd-"

"Snow!" Serena shot up so fast that her chair fell back behind her with a loud clatter. "What are we waiting for?" In the blink of an eye he had run into her room to grab her coat and scarf. Two seconds later, her boots were on and she was out the door. Darien slowly smiled as he finished his last sip of red wine.

. . .

"Why do you like the snow so much?" Darien finally caught up to the giddy blonde, eagerly standing, staring out of the lobby windows.

"It hardly ever snows in Tokyo, and when it does, it isn't for long." Serena placed her hands up against the foggy window, watching in awe as the light of the apartment lobby illuminated the occasional falling flakes of snow. "It's just so… pretty" She breathed as they both walked out into the cold. "So pure and white. It covers everything in a thin veil of softness. It's comforting."

"Comforting?" Darien raised an eyebrow curiously as they both walked across the road and into the park. "You find the cold comforting?"

"Well… no," Serena admitted. "But there's just something about it… I've always wanted to sit inside, near a log fire and watch the snow falling, with a cup of cocoa in one hand, wrapped up in a blanket and snuggled next to someone I love." She shook the seriousness out of her tone. "I guess it's comforting to think that I'll get to do something like that one day."

"It's a nice thought." Darien added. "A little cheesy, but nice." A small smile embraced his lips as Serena playfully swatted at his arm. "I like the rain better."

"Why? Don't take showers often enough?" Serena retorted, sticking her tongue out.

"It's just soothing." He pulled a face briefly before continuing his explanation. "I guess it's like a cleansing… but for the soul. Only really pleasant in the summer though. Summer rains are the best for that."

"I've never seen you go for a walk in the rain." Serena held her hand out as she walked, catching stray snowflakes and watching them carefully as they melted instantly.

"It's not really going for a walk in the rain that I like… it's more, the idea of getting caught in the rain with someone… Enjoying the spontaneity of the moment. Running through it, feeling it saturate your clothes, but still being comfortably warm enough so it doesn't ruin the mood." Darien shrugged. "Holding hands in the rain, laughing as one of you slip a little, getting caught in the arms of the other. Coming home, soaked and dripping on the carpet. The slow romance of taking each others clothes o-"

"Alright, alright! I get it!" Serena interrupted, her cheeks igniting as she felt herself getting rather flustered. Darien chuckled at her innocence. "Wait... a romantic walk through the park in the snow... this isn't a date or anything, is it?" Serena turned to face the man walking beside her. "I've never dated anyone before, so you'll have to tell me if this is one... because I really wouldn't know."

"No, it's not a date." Darien chuckled slightly. "If it were a date, and if I hadn't taken you out to a nice restaurant, then I'd be the one cooking for you. Sure, we'd go for a walk in the park, throw snowballs at each other, hold hands, talk about things-"

"Talk about what kind of things?" Serena interrupted.

"Hmm..." Darien glanced over at the petite blonde as she walked beside him. "Probably about how cute your nose is, pink from the cold. Or how beautiful your eyes look, glistening in the moonlight."

"Smooth..." Serena tried to act cool, calm and collected even though her heart pounded in her chest. He looked so sincere. "And then?"

"And then I'd buy you a hot chocolate to warm you up, and walk you home. And if I'm lucky, I'd get a goodnight kiss."

"Ugh, stop." Serena rolled her eyes in disgust. "You're making me incredibly jealous of everyone who's out on a date tonight." She pouted slightly. "Well I suppose if this isn't a date, then there's really no reason for me to give you this, then is there?" She held out a gift box on the palm of her hands.

"You're giving me something?" Darien reached to open up the navy blue box, revealing a gold moon phase pocket watch.

"Well... yes. But only because I feel bad because you went completely overboard for White Day last year. I thought that it'd only be fair to do something nice this year... just as long as you don't go blowing all your money on me again, professor moneybags." Serena explained, shoving her hands into her pockets meekly. "I don't know if it's your type of thing or not but there was something about it that reminded me of you."

"It's wonderful." Darien lifted the pocket watch up for closer inspection. "It's probably one of the nicest things anybody has ever given to me." Placing it back in the box, he closed it to protect it from the elements. "I suppose I should probably give you a hug or something like that, right?"

"Please don't." Serena took a step back, her right hand shooting up in protest. Darien took two steps forward for each one she took back, and in a matter of seconds, he had closed the gap between them.

"But Drew told me that it was an acceptable method of showing a female my appreciation when receiving anything." He lunged at her with his arms open, knocking them both to the ground.

"Darieeeen!" Serena screeched out loud as she laughed, her impact cushioned by the snow covered grass. Darien fell on top of her lightly, before he rolled over onto the grass and moved an arm and leg to make half a snow angel. Serena joined in, and as they both stood to admire their work, Serena finished off Darien's masterpiece by adding horns and a tail.

"Oh, and _you're_ supposed to be the angel?" Darien rolled his eyes. As Serena rose up from their snow art, her wobbly knees gave way and in an instant, Darien caught her before she fell again. "Your hands are freezing." Darien noticed, wrapping his long fingers around hers.

"How can your hands be so warm right now?" She lifted his fingers up to her frozen cheeks, relishing the feeling of his warmth. She placed a hand against his chest, just beneath his coat, wondering if it was just his hands that were warm. Instantly, she threw herself at him, slipping her hands beneath his coat, seeking warmth, and leaning her face against his chest. Darien's body froze in place as he felt Serena hugging him, pressing herself closely up against his body. "Don't take this the wrong way." Serena's voice vibrated against his chest. "I'm just using you for your warmth."

After a moment or two, Darien pulled away slightly before his affection for the blonde teen manifested itself physically and became too uncontrollably obvious. "Let's go home, Dumpling." Darien turned back in the direction they had come from and the two of them slowly strolled back home in a comfortable silence.

Serena plunged her hands in her pockets to keep them warm, only to remove them a moment later, lifting them up to her face in hopes that her warm breath would cut through the icy feeling of her numb fingertips. Without saying a word, Darien reached over and took one of her frozen hands in his, holding it securely as they continued to walk back to the apartment. His thumb gently caressed hers in a comforting manner as her fingers slowly warmed with his touch.

Darien pulled out his swipe access card from his left pocket and waved it across the sensor on the door. A moment later, he was nudging the door open with his left arm and the two of them were back in the warmth of the apartment lobby. Still shrouded in a comfortable silence, Darien and Serena waited for the elevator patiently. As it arrived, she stepped in first, followed by Darien, the two still intimately connected. Serena stole a brief glance up at him, wondering if he had forgotten that he was still holding her hand. Once at their apartment door, Darien hesitated, looking down at their joined hands. His apartment key was in his right pocket.

"You can let go, you know." Serena noticed the conflicted look present on Darien's face.

"I know…" Darien replied a little too quickly as he reluctantly released hold of the girls hand to dig through his pockets for the key.

"So…" Serena suddenly felt the deep urge to make small talk as she realised that they were both heading down the hallway to their rooms. "Look at us, two sad loners on Valentines day, huh?"

"I don't know about you, but I had a good time." Darien shrugged his shoulders, his fingers still tingling from the touch of Serena's hand.

"I did too." Serena's eyes lit up a little at his comment. A moment of awkward silence passed between the two before Serena lifted herself up on the tips of her toes and swiftly pressed her lips against Darien's cheek. "Thank you for the roses, and for cheering me up."

"T-thank you…" Darien's eyes grew wide as he felt the briefest flutter of warmth on his cheek before she pulled away again. "For making dinner, and for the watch."

"So…" Serena's heart pounded in her chest as the adrenaline from her sudden courageous move made her feel incredibly emboldened. Every muscle in her body hummed with nervous energy and she didn't know how much longer she could hide it. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then!" Serena's hands fumbled with her door knob and she swiftly slipped into her room, shutting the door behind her.

"Goodnight, Serena." Darien mumbled dumbly at her door.

As Serena threw herself excitedly at her bed, a small red box bounced off, rolling onto the floor. In her state of immense giddiness, Serena struggled to calm herself enough to sit still while she picked the box up. Ever so carefully, with shaky hands, Serena gingerly lifted the lid on the box to reveal a silver rabbit charm and a note attached.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Usagi." The note read. It was written in Darien's hand. Instantly, a broad grin spread across her face as she fell back onto her bed. Sitting up for a moment, she turned her attention to her red roses sitting on her bedside table. With a somewhat bashful smile, she leaned forward and inhaled the dewy scent of the flowers before lifting the note up to read once more. She gently pressed her lips against it and stifled an excited squeal into her pillow.

Darien quietly shut his bedroom door behind him, leaning his back against it as he reached into his coat and pulled out his new golden pocket watch with excitement. With a gentle smile, he let his fingers trace over the gold detail, admiring the expert craftsmanship. Lifting his hand up to his cheek, it was almost like he could still feel the warmth of her lips again, making his skin tingle gently. It had been a wonderful night. He raised the golden pocket watch up to his lips, pressing them against the trinket gently.

A piercing pain seared through his chest as Darien's breath caught at the back of his throat. Pulling the pocket watch away, he noticed a smear of blood across the glass. As he reached for a handful of tissues to control the flow of blood stemming from his nose, brilliant white flashes pulsed in his mind's eye. They were clear as day. It was his princess. His head throbbed and his heart ached. Every breath that he took felt as though he wasn't getting enough oxygen into his lungs. There was no doubt that it was a message from his princess. She needed him to find her, and he was getting distracted. Eventually, as he grew to understand the message, Darien's nose began to stop bleeding. He lifted a tissue up to clean the glass of the pocket watch.

"I'm sorry Serena..." He whispered with a tone of bitter disappointment in his voice. "I can't be who you want me to be."

* * *

. . .

Bittersweet eh? I promise I won't toy with them for muuuuuch longer. Just long enough for me to progress the canon storyline a little more and get a few more of the Rainbow Crystals found. Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day. I'm sending my platonic love to you all. Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed Liar, Liar! It was great to know you enjoyed it! 'Til next week.. oh wait, I now have a blog site thingy... check it out for all my mundane news on updates and stuff- w w w . crystalsaturn. weebly. c o m (without the spaces, of course)

Much Love,  
_**Crystal Saturn**_


	25. The End of a Chapter & Start of Another

Bear with me guys. This was meant to be a Rainbow Crystal chapter, but instead, I've inserted another 2 chapters to try and build the storyline a little and tie up some loose ends. I also thought it was important to bring the other girls into the story again.

_**Thanks to:**_ smfan4ever72, Guest, nessers, Guest, Usako, MinnieMoosi, kbtjmandy, Guest, KittyKat (ooohh I still need to watch YAB!), devilsangels11287, MissTexMex, SailorMoon489, Perfect Beauty, missscatterbrain325, CharmedSerenity3, LoveInTheBattleField, Miss Katrina Malfoy_** and**_ Mzmiami _**for reviewing the previous chapter. *Hugs***_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 25 – The End of a Chapter & Start of Another

_"One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful."_

_[- Sigmund Freud]_

Lita sighed, balancing her pacer on the tip of her nose. "Can you girls believe we start out second last year of school in a few weeks?"

"Well considering we're studying on a Saturday?" Mina groaned, her head hitting the textbook on the desk in front of her. "Yes... Yes I can believe it."

"Come on guys, you know that I push you for the best." Ami closed her textbook, realising that they had studied for a few hours now and that a break was probably needed. "We all do so well now that we've got a study routine."

"Yeah... We know... it's still a bummer though." Mina sighed through the textbook. "What I would give for an excuse or a distraction from study... like a boyfriend."

"Speaking of boyfriends," Rei interrupted. "How's yours going?" She nudged at Serena who was lying on the ground, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm surprised you're not with him today, helping him get ready for his graduation ceremony."

"We're not dating, Rei." Serena rolled her eyes. "He made that perfectly clear on a number of occasions, remember?"

"Well, I wouldn't say _perfectly_ clear..." Rei stressed.

"Besides, you guys are _so_ past dating." Lita added. "You're already living together."

"I also live with Andy, but it doesn't mean I'm dating him either." Serena sighed, staring wistfully up at the ceiling.

"That's because Andrew's your cousin. That would be wrong." Lita shook her head slowly. "Wrong for you, but since he's not _my_ cousin..." She let her sly remark sink in, earning a few giggles of agreement from the other girls. "But you and Darien have chemistry. There's definitely a spark there."

"Is there something wrong, Serena?" Rei placed her pen down and shut her writing book. "There seems to be something bothering you."

Serena let out another slow sigh as she rolled over onto her front, leaning her chin against her clasped hands. "I don't know." She began, scrunching her nose. "He's just... all over the place."

"Go on..." Lita coerced lightly.

"Just when I think I know what he wants; just when we're getting comfortable in our 'friend' groove, he goes and does something or says something incredibly romantic, and then before I can react, he shuts down completely and starts giving me the cold shoulder routine all over again." Serena scratched her head in irritation. "I just don't understand men."

"Neither do I." Rei confessed.

"Amen to that, sister." Lita nodded.

"Let me in on that party." Mina raised a hand.

"Well..." Ami piped up, to the interest of all present. "Maybe he just has a lot on his plate." She shrugged, explaining to the silent room. "It seems that he's torn, on multiple levels. On one hand, being Andrew's best friend probably raises a 'bro-code' boundary that we're unaware of. At the same time, there is a bit of an age difference too. Then there's also the fact that you're both living under the one roof, so he's probably thinking about the outcome of starting a relationship with someone he sees every day. If it goes well, chances are it would be awkward for Andrew; feeling like the third wheel." Ami meticulously explained. "But if the relationship doesn't last, then it would be awkward for all three of you. The dynamic of the apartment would change completely. Chances are, at least one of you would have to move out."

"I never really thought of it like that..." Serena blinked in disbelief.

"'Rena, you can't compromise the identity of Sailor Moon, or the rest of us, as a matter of fact." Rei added. "Do you think you could keep a secret like that from Darien?"

"Could you imagine being in the middle of a romantic date, then being called into battle?" Mina frowned at the idea. "You'd always be unexplainably disappearing."

"A relationship full of secrets can never really last long." Lita added. "Neither one of you two would be happy like that."

"I guess you're all right..." Serena rubbed the forming tears out of her eyes. "It's probably for the best that he doesn't make a move then." Slowly sitting up, Serena brought her knees up to her chest. "I still can't help but wish for something to change though."

"Well, maybe once high school is over, and once we've found the Moon Princess, things will have settled down for you to start a romance." Ami smiled, stacking a bunch of books on the desk. "In the mean time, I'm sure Darien can and will wait, as long as you keep your grades up like you have been."

A small smile tugged on Serena's lips as she shuffled over to her studious friend. After a moment of quiet staring, Serena flung her arms around her close friend. "Oh, Ami-chaaaan, you're always so reasonable." The blonde girl pouted. "How can you always be so right and know exactly what to say all the time?"

"Well, I try." Ami smiled, patting Serena on the shoulder comfortingly. "We should leave for K.O University soon; I have some textbooks that I'd like to return before the ceremony."

. . .

Taking the bus from Hikawa Shrine to K.O University, the five girls happily chatted away about the everyday trivial aspects of life; boys, school, the warmth of spring in the air, how the Dark Kingdom seemed to be strangely quiet lately... That was, until something outside caught Serena's attention. In a heartbeat, she lifted her hand and swatted at the next stop button.

"Serena? What is it?" Rei frowned slightly as she watched the blonde teen rise to her feet. The bus slowly pulled into the next station.

"'Rena, K.O University isn't for another few blocks." Ami looked around, hesitantly following her friend as she too rose to her feet.

"I know..." Serena responded absentmindedly, her eyes seemingly searching for something outside the bus window. "Sorry guys, but I just thought that I'd check something out..."

The five girls hopped off the bus and onto the side of the road of a nameless street of Azabu-Juuban. Serena led the way, talking a few steps before turning down a small alleyway. She stopped as they came across a vaguely familiar street.

"'Rena... this is the street that you used to live on..." Lita's gentle voice conveyed a hushed, solemn tone. "Are you OK?"

"I-I'm fine." Serena nodded slowly. She started walking up the slight incline toward her old house, and before long, she found herself across the road from it. A small white car was parked in the driveway. The sound of laughter flit through the air. A moment later, a small child ran out of the house, giggling. She leaped into the back of the white car and pulled out a pink plush rabbit.

"Papa! Papa, I've found it!" The girl squealed happily. She would have been no more than 5 years of age. "Hide it again, daddy!" The girl threw her hand up in the air to wave. She was about to run back inside the house, but the presence of 5 older teens caught her attention. "Hullo!" She smiled mirthfully.

"Hello," Serena waved at the small blue eyed girl with long golden curls.

"I like your hair. It's pretty." The little girl smiled as she nuzzled her face into her plush toy.

"Kotori!" A loud female voice called out from within the house. "Kotori, there you are!" A woman in her late thirties peered her head from the front door. "Oh," Her tone changed as her gaze fell upon the other unfamiliar faces. "Hello."

"Hello, I'm sorry, I don't mean to intrude." Serena bowed her head politely and the other girls followed suit. "My name is Tsukino, Serena..."

"Mizuno, Ami."

"Kino, Lita."

"Aino, Mina."

"Hino, Rei."

The girls took turns introducing themselves before Serena continued. "I hope you don't mind, we're not trying to cause any trouble or sell you anything, it's just that I-"

"Used to live here." The older lady interrupted with a small, gentle smile gracing her lips. "Yes, I remember your name, Miss Tsukino." She bowed. "It's nice to meet you all. My name is Yoshida, Harumi. This is my daughter Kotori. My husband Harou is unpacking inside."

"Unpacking? Are you only just moving in?" Mina leaned over to high five Kotori who was happily greeting the five strangers. The young girl reminded Serena of herself when she was only a child. Her playful friendly energy brought back memories of what it was like to be so young and carefree again. A small smile graced Serena's features every time Kotori looked up at her.

"Yes, we only started to move in yesterday." Harumi tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Would you like to come in for some tea?"

Serena's chest tightened as she looked up at the balcony that used to lead to her bedroom. She could still see each and every room; the kitchen, the dining room, Sammy's bedroom, the living room her parents bedroom, as though it was just yesterday that she was still living there. A light mist stung her eyes as she tried to blink away her newly forming tears. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Serena slowly shook her head.

"I... I..." Her voice cracked as she struggled to hold back her tears. "I'm sorry. I'd love to but I don't think I can..." Serena's throat clenched and she stifled a hiccupped response. "I'm not ready... Please forgive me, I- I just can't. I hope you understand." The tears fell freely from Serena's cerulean eyes as she bowed deeply before turning away swiftly and running down to the end of the street, stopping around the corner. Rei followed the flighty blonde as the other girls apologised for their friend. As it turned out, Harumi knew the story, and of Serena's circumstances. It was Andrew who had rented the house to the family. He had been placed in charge of the estate after Ikuko had left. Unable to sell the property, he had placed it on the market for rent, sending the money to his aunty every month.

"Serena!" Rei called out after the girl. "Slow down you dumpling head!" She finally caught up to the tearful blonde as she rounded the corner.

"Rei-" Serena furiously rubbed her tears away from her eyes. "I'm sorry I'm such a crybaby. It's just that-"

"I get it." Rei interrupted just as the other girls caught up. "You don't have to say anything." She gently placed a comforting arm around her friend.

"It can't have been easy for you, 'Rena." Lita also placed an arm around the girl. "You went through a lot."

"You've been strong for so long." Ami added, handing the petite blonde a tissue. "You've had to grow up so quickly this past year."

"You're allowed to cry, 'Rena." Mina reassured. "It's not a sign of weakness." She added. "But it's okay if you're feeling a little weak, that's what your friends are here for. We're all here for you. You don't always have to be strong around us. We'll help you through any troubles you may have."

The girls closed in on the tearful teen, each taking turns to comfort Serena until she eventually smiled through her tears. "You guys..." Her voice squeaked as she wiped the last of her sad tears away, replaced instead with tears of joy. "You guys are the best friends a girl could ever have."

"Miss Serena!" The sound of a little girl calling out could be heard. Serena pulled away from her friends to slowly walk around the corner again. Kotomi stood at the end of her driveway, waving her pink plush bunny above her head. "Miss Serena, please come and visit us again!"

"Of course, Kotomi-chan!" A broad grin spread across Serena's face as she waved back enthusiastically. "I'll see you again soon! Be good to your mama and papa!" At that moment, Harumi and Harou joined their daughter out on the driveway and waved to the group of girls who each bowed in respect.

. . .

"Andy!" Serena yelled out over the crowd, waving her arm in the air to try to get her cousin's attention. "Andy, over here!"

"Hey girls!" Andrew greeted cheerfully as he finally made his way through the sea of people standing about around in the University's quadrangle, waiting for the graduation ceremony to commence. "Glad you could all make it."

"Well, you know..." Lita waved her hand through the air in a faux-blasé manner. "If you ever need a cheering squad, you know who to call."

"Yeah, and besides," Mina added. "What kind of friends would we be if we didn't show up to support Serena's boyfriend on his graduation day?"

"Mina-!" Serena's protests fell upon deaf ears.

"It's _Doctor_ Serena's boyfriend." Rei nudged Mina's arm with her elbow. Andrew laughed out loud, loving the fact that Serena's own friends were also in on trying to set the couple up.

"Reiii!"

"Not Doctor yet." Ami corrected. "So, it's _future_ Doctor Serena's boyfriend."

"Ami!"

Ami stuck her tongue out playfully as she took this opportunity to duck away from the group, needing to return her books back to the campus library. Andrew offered to take the girls on a tour of the campus as Ami ran her errands. She was quite familiar with the campus, or at least the library building. Once placing her textbooks in the return chute, she couldn't help but explore the shelves once again. Her thirst for knowledge and curiosity were insatiable, that, and she and her mother had an ongoing game of who could find the oldest library book. Her mother was currently winning.

"Ami?" The timid teen caught the attention of a student.

"Darien-kun." Ami addressed formally as she bowed politely. Darien chuckled slightly to himself. "What are you doing here?

"Please," he shook his head. "I know, I'm dressed in this ridiculous black poncho, but there's really no need to be addressing me so formally." He smiled, playing with the tassel hanging from the mortarboard in his hands. "I ducked away from the crowds below to try to get a moment of peace and quiet, to gather my thoughts a little. What about you? What are you doing here? Are you lost?"

"No, not at all." Ami returned a slightly bashful smile. It was true, the library resources were reserved for K.O university staff and students only, so it wasn't an unreasonable assumption. "My mother lectures here occasionally, so I use her card to borrow textbooks and literature papers every now and then. I like to keep up to date with what's going on in the medical sciences."

"I see..." Darien raised his eyebrows, impressed at the teenager's studious attitude and dedication as he nodded his head in approval. "That's really wonderful. You've got such great ambition, Ami-chan." Scratching his head for a moment, a strange thought crossed his mind. "Tell me though, how is it that such a bright, hard-working student such as yourself, can be friends with someone as frustratingly lazy as Serena?"

A blank expression formed on Ami's face for a split second before her gaze softened. "Darien, do you know why Serena is always walking into things?" She smiled gently. "I mean, before she moved in to your apartment, you often made fun of her because she used to regularly run into you on her way to and from school every day, right?"

"Yeah," Darien mused. "I always just thought that she was using her clumsiness as an excuse to get close to me."

Ami giggled politely as she shook her head. "Maybe fate has something to do with why the two of you are always being thrown together."

"Fate?" Daren raised an eyebrow incredulously. "Ami, you of all people-"

"I know." She smiled, blushing slightly. "But not all things can be explained with science." A light pink hue graced the younger girl's cheeks. "Especially matters of the heart."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Ami began again, "Back to my question, do you know why Serena is always tripping and walking into things?"

"Well, if it's not because she's just overly clumsy, then I'd like to hear your hypothesis, Miss Mizuno." An expression of curious amusement graced Darien's features as he leaned against a nearby desk.

"It took me a long time to realize this." Ami admitted. "For a long time, I too, thought she was merely clumsy, but after spending so much time around her and observing her, I've come to realize that she's not clumsy at all."

"Go on…" Darien's fingers continued to fumble with his mortarboard. His interest was piqued.

"Serena trips all the time because she's not watching where she's going." Ami slowly began to clarify her theory before being interrupted by Darien.

"Yes, I kno-"

"But she doesn't watch where she's going, because she's too busy looking up at the sky, at flowers, at puppies…" A gentle smile of fondness lit up Ami's eyes. "You see, Serena loves life more than anything else. She experiences the world around her, every bit of it, all the time. She's always living in the moment and appreciating all that is around her." Ami explained. Darien nodded in silence, seriously taking into consideration Ami's theory. It made sense. In fact, it made so much sense, that he wondered how he could have missed it.

"Darien, that's why I like being around her." Ami explained. "She reminds me that there is beauty and life outside of academics and textbooks." The teenager looked about the library. She walked from her place between two bookshelves, over toward the window, glancing out at the courtyard below. "She's playful and confident and full of life. I like that about her. Just watching her makes me feel happy. Doesn't she do the same for you?"

A moment of quiet reflection passed and Darien eventually smiled, nodding his head in understanding. "You're a very smart girl, Ami." He added. "You're wise beyond your years."

"Thank you." Ami lowered her head bashfully. "But, Darien, shouldn't you be getting back? The ceremony is about to start soon."

"Ah, yes." Darien pulled his pocket watch out, catching a glimpse at the time. "You're right once again." He adjusted his robe across his shoulders before tucking the mortarboard underneath his arm. "Is... Serena here yet?"

"Yes," Ami nodded, noticing the look of relief that washed over Darien's features. "She's very happy and excited for you." She waved as Darien bowed slightly in appreciation, starting his walk back to the large hall. "Congratulations, by the way!" Ami called out behind him.

"Thank you, Ami-san." Darien smiled, looking back briefly and waving.

* * *

"Chancellor, the following students are graduating from the School of Medicine: Akiyama, Emiko. Arai, Hisoka Henry. Abe, Kasumi Missy. Bunya, Fumio..." The Dean read out the names of those receiving their diplomas.

"Chancellor, the following student has achieved outstanding academic excellence throughout the course of his degree. This has resulted in him graduating today with first class honours and direct, early entry into post graduate Masters studies with K.O. University. We are pleased to present him with the K.O. University medal as well as the cohort Dux award. Congratulations Chiba, Mamoru Darien."

"Wooooooh!" Serena leaped to her feet, cheering loudly from her seat. "Mamoruuuu-samaaaaa!" Her voice carried over the sound of already enthusiastic applause from the graduating cohort and guests. Darien cringed slightly as he turned to face the crowd, spotting six rambunctious individuals, standing and cheering particularly loudly. His eyes fell upon Serena. A huge smile lit up her face as she jumped up and down, waving her hands in the air excitedly. He couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. Humbly, he accepted his awards and diploma, doffing his mortarboard toward the university chancellor before returning to his seat.

"Hey man, congratulations!" Andrew reached his hand out as he approached Darien at the end of the ceremony.

"Thanks." Darien shook his best friend's hand. "It's not over yet though. I still have Masters then the dreaded PhD, don't forget." The dark haired man groaned.

"Congratulations!" Serena pounced on the robed man, throwing him slightly off balance as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed momentarily.

"Thanks, Dumpling Head." Darien wheezed. "But I think my favourite part of the whole ordeal was when you called me –sama." He smirked playfully. "I like it, it's fitting. I should make you call me by that suffix all the time from now."

"Whatever... It's not going to happen again, I assure you." Serena rolled her eyes, taking hold of his two awards for general admiration purposes. "So your Japanese name is Mamoru, huh?" The petite blonde poked her tongue out playfully. Darien deadpanned as he slowly reached his hand out and tugged on the small silver bunny charm on Serena's bracelet. Her grin soon turned into a pout. "Fine, we're even."

"But Darien, isn't the Undergraduate Medicine course at K.O a six year course?" Ami flicked through her information pamphlet. "How did you manage to graduate in four years?"

"I designed and applied for accelerated entry into the University, where I condensed the first two years and started them while still in High School." Darien detailed. "I've also technically not completed all my practical hour placements either, but have applied for a special consideration to conduct my field placement at an affiliated sister campus in a few months. Hopefully my application will be accepted." He rushed through his vague explanation, hoping there wouldn't be many more questions on the topic. "It'll be an exciting, new experience."

"A sister campus? But isn't Harva-"

"Shall we take some photos?" Darien tried to subtly interrupt Ami from asking too many questions by creating a distraction. He casually slipped an arm around Serena's shoulders as he prepared a cheesy pose. The airy blonde was slightly startled at Darien's sudden close proximity, but she didn't dare to protest. Instead, she handed her camera to Mina to take a photo.

"Come on, Dumpling," The tall dark haired man leaned over slightly, whispering into Serena's ear, a shifty smirk plastered across his face as he drawled. "Call me Darien_-sama_ again."

"In your wildest dreams, Darien_-baka_!" Serena blew a raspberry in retaliation.

_Click._

"Aww..." Mina laughed, handing the camera around to show everybody. "What an adorkable picture of our favourite couple."

"In their natural habitat." Andrew laughed at their expressions.

"Now if we could only get one where they kiss and make up." Lita folded her arms in approval.

"_You guuuyyyyyyyys_!"

* * *

. . .

Okay, a sweet non-event chapter, but the next chapter will be an interesting one, and the one after will get back on the path of the Rainbow Crystals. In the meantime, I NEED YOUR HELP! Please head on over to my blog- w w w . crystalsaturn. weebly. c o m (without the spaces) where you will find information on my 3 latest story ideas and a poll. Please vote on the poll which of the 3 stories you think I should start next. I'll see you all next week with another chapter!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	26. If 3's a Crowd, Then What About 4?

Those of you who follow my blog would probably know where I've been lately. Here's the next update, and I've finally finished **Akai Ito**... so have a read of that too if you haven't already!

_**Thanks to:**_ susy, SerentiyMoonGodness, MinnieMoosi, rinny, Guest, sailormoon0630, Lunachan90, kbtjmandy, Miss Katrina Malfoy, Guest, CharmedSerenity3, jade21, princess moonie, angeljme, KittyKat, Usako, smfan4ever72, Guest, Perfect Beauty, LoveInTheBattleField _**and**_ Guest_** for reviewing the previous chapter.  
**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 26 – If 3's a Crowd, Then What About 4?

"Jealousy is the fear of comparison."  
_[- Max Frisch]_

As the rain pelted the streets of Tokyo, dampening every nook and cranny of the concrete jungle, Serena, Darien and Andrew spent a rare afternoon together, hidden away in their little apartment, burning time by playing _Mario Kart._

"Bajeebus! Alright, who threw that shell?" Andrew turned to his two rivals momentarily as he swung his plastic steering wheel.

"No hard feelings, Drew." Darien grinned as he shifted into second place, behind Serena.

"Come on, come on." Serena bopped up and down on the sofa, urging her mushroom headed avatar to race faster towards the finish line. A red shell flashed up above her. "No, no, no, no, no!" The shell smacked into the rear of her cart, causing her to lose control and she fell off the course, to be winched out by a _Lakitu_. This resulted in Serena finishing in last place. "Darieeeeen!" She pouted and punched the man in the arm. "I was coming first for once!"

_Knock Knock Knock._

The gentle sound distracted all three players from their game, as each of them exchanged curious looks.

"Are either of you expecting someone?" Andrew turned to Serena and Darien who shook their heads 'no'.

_Knock Knock Knock._

Andrew rose to his feet and strolled quickly towards the front door. Reaching for the handle, he unlocked the door and yanked it open. There, dripping onto the carpet in the hallway, stood a tall, slender brunette. She was soaked. Her long, dark wavy hair matted across her body and hid away the pale, delicate, alabaster skin of her face. Lifting a shaky hand up to push her bangs aside, she looked up at Andrew with violet eyes and a small, weary smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Diana?" Andrew immediately recognised the seemingly lost woman.

"Diana?" Darien immediately rose to his feet, dropping the game controller as he ran to the door. "Diana!" He beamed as he hastily embraced the damp visitor. Serena too, slowly rose from her place on the sofa to watch the strange reunion and Darien's uncharacteristic display of affection, at a shy distance. Darien pulled the young woman into the apartment as Andrew helped drag her bags in and shut the door behind them. "What are you doing here? It's been so long!" Darien wrapped his arms around the girl once again, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was cold and saturated. Andrew ran to the linen closet and handed Diana some towels.

"I found Adrian in bed with another woman... and her boyfriend." The violet eyed woman explained wearily as she towelled herself off and turned to Andrew. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so much trouble. I didn't know where else to go, and I knew you guys had a spare room. I still have my building swipe card so..."

"It's no trouble at all." Andrew waved a hand about as he walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on. It was then that the stranger's attention turned to the third presence in the room. A face that seemed unfamiliar to her. Serena smiled politely. Diana raised a curious eyebrow as she briefly observed the young blonde, looked over at Darien, then back at Serena.

"Hi." She returned the friendly smile. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've ever met. I'm Diana." Holding her hand out, her delicate fingers met Serena's and they shook briefly before Diana pulled the teen in for a closer inspection. "You're very pretty." She added, causing Serena's cheeks to flush a light amaranth pink. "You must be Darien's girlfriend."

"I-Uh..." Serena stuttered, turning a deeper shade of tomato. She was interrupted as Darien laughed out heartily.

"No." He chuckled.

"Serena's my cousin." Andrew interjected quickly. "She's living with us."

"I see." Diana smiled warmly as she turned her attention back to the flushed blonde and the nervously chuckling dark haired man beside her. "My mistake then." She eyed Darien down in an all knowing manner. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Serena." Diana nodded. "The statement still stands. Even if Darien here is too blind to notice, I still think you're very pretty."

"Umm... Thank you." Serena meekly nodded in return. She wasn't too sure why she was behaving so reserved all of a sudden, but there was something about this new stranger's presence that changed the whole dynamic and feel of the apartment. Serena felt slightly intimidated, and she wasn't sure why.

"Di, you look cold. You should probably go take a shower and change out of your clothes." Andrew searched through the cupboards for some green tea. The brunette looked up at him gratefully. "You still know where the shower is, right?"

"Down the hall, first door on the left." Diana nodded as she picked up a duffle bag and headed down the familiar hallway. As she entered the bathroom and shut the door behind her, both Serena and Darien gravitated towards the kitchen area and sat on their respective stools.

"So... who's that?" Serena began, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"Darien's ex-girlfriend." Andrew explained simply.

"No she's not. We never dated." Darien shook his head, shooting Andrew a quick glare.

"Why not? You two look good together. She's beautiful." Serena swivelled around on her bar stool. "And very friendly."

"Yeah, she is-" Darien began before Andrew interjected once again.

"-But she's a lesbian." He whispered cheekily.

"Really?" Serena propped up in her seat in surprise and mild amusement at the gossip.

"No she's not." Darien glared at Andrew once again. "She's my _other_ best friend. We grew up together."

"So she went to the same school?"

"She went to the same orphanage." Darien lowered his gaze towards the counter.

"Oh... right." Serena also averted her gaze, feeling as though she had managed to shove her foot into her mouth.

"The three of us used to spend so much time together in high school." Andrew picked up the momentum of the conversation once again. "Even after high school, Diana stayed with us for a little while, until she met Adrian, her now ex-boyfriend. I guess he was always jealous of her hanging out with us. He and Daz never saw eye to eye. Eventually Diana moved in with him, and the visits became sparse. The calls became shorter and shorter, she dropped out of University and inevitably, we fell out of touch."

"It's good to see her again, though." Darien added quietly and Andrew nodded in agreement.

"So does that mean I can stay?" Diana silently emerged from the shadows of the hallway. "My old room's probably taken, but I'd be more than happy if I could live on the couch for a couple weeks, just until I can get myself sorted again. You know I've always been a gypsy anyway."

"Of course you can." Andrew handed the petite brunette a mug of green tea.

"The sofa won't do. You can bunk with me in my room. The queen size bed should be big enough for the both of us." Darien pulled a dining chair out for Diana to take a seat on. The violet eyed woman watched as Serena's expression changed ever so slightly. The blonde girl shifted uncomfortably in her seat, trying to hide her discomfort at the idea, even though her cheeks were flushed with agitation.

"Well I was actually hoping, as long as Serena doesn't mind too much, that I could camp out in her room." Diana smiled warmly, turning her attention more directly to the blonde. As all eyes fell on to Serena for a response, she noticed Andrew mouthing what looked like the word 'lesbian', silently. A rosy hue crept across Serena's cheeks. "Whadda ya say, 'Rena?" The violet eyed beauty beamed.

"Sure, I guess." Serena nodded, feeling a little awkward and ill at ease. She wasn't used to being out-happied by anyone else, and she had never actually encountered a homosexual person in real life before. How was she supposed to behave?

"Great! It's settled then! I'll find the fold out mattress and 'Rena and I will be roomies." Diana dragged the rest of her bags into her old bedroom.

* * *

"So, Serena." Diana sat down on her fold out mattress and looked around her room. "I can sense you're a little uncomfortable with me being here."

"What? No! Not at all!" Serena shook her head vigorously as she sat on the edge of her bed and faced the twenty-year-old woman in her room. Diana watched Serena intently, and eventually raised a curious eyebrow. "Okay, maybe a little." The blonde teen finally confessed.

"Is it because you like Darien?"

"No!" Serena denied a little too quickly. "Darien's mean. He's a complete idiot that teases me incessantly. He's horrible to me. Why would I like Darien? I don't like Darien."

"Good," Diana stretched her long legs in front of her. "So you won't mind if I go after him then, will you?"

"I... I..." A spark of jealous fury raged beneath Serena's calm exterior.

"I'm only kidding, 'Rena." Diana pulled her knees up towards her chest once more. "I wouldn't try to take your man away from you, even if I were interested in him, which I'm not. Besides, didn't your cousin tell you that I'm a lesbian?"

"Well... yes, he did." Serena felt the blood rising to her cheeks as she broke eye contact.

"Is that why you're uncomfortable around me?" Diana smirked. "Well, you shouldn't be. I'm not a lesbian."

"You're not?" Serena tilted her head to the side in curiosity. "I mean, I'm not concerned if you are or not. It really doesn't matter whether you like girls or guys..."

"I'm not a lesbian." Diana let out a small laugh as she leant back onto the mattress. "I mean, yes, there was this one time when I..." She glanced over at the petite teen and smiled at her innocent wide-eyed expression. "You know what? You don't need to know any of that." Diana laughed to herself. "But just so we're on the same page, I should probably tell you that I used to be totally and completely head over heels in love with Darien when we were young kids, growing up. So when I was fifteen, I finally gathered up all the courage I had, and I told him how I felt."

"What did he say?" Serena's heart began to race in her chest and she felt as though Diana knew exactly how she felt. She had been there and done that and their relationship seemed to be close.

"He broke my heart." Diana gave a melancholy smile as she reminisced.

_Knock Knock._

Darien peered his head into the room. "What are you girls talking about?"

"My Lesbianism status and our past relationship." Diana gave a sly sideward glance.

"Di, you know I don't like it when you make things up about me." Darien paused for a moment, wanting to select his next words carefully. "No matter how true they may sound."

"Guys, I'm about to order pizza." Andrew popped his head into the doorway, holding the phone. "Did you have any requests?"

"I guess I'll have to finish that story another time." Diana turned her head toward Serena and winked. "

* * *

A whole week had passed since Serena's new roommate moved in, and it didn't seem to be getting any easier for Serena. It was the strangest feeling for the usually bubbly blonde. She had previously never hesitated when it came to making a new friend. It came sort of naturally for her. She never cared about rumours, gossip, stories or background history. Serena always made friends based on what she felt in her heart, but her heart was currently clouded with doubt and jealousy.

Sunday night was filled with reminiscence and stories of how Andrew, Darien and Diana used to always hang out with each other. Serena sat and listened quietly. She was happy to see the three old friends getting along so well, but it made her feel a little jealous knowing that it was probably the most that she had ever seen Darien smile and laugh in one sitting.

. . .

Monday night was laundry night.

_Knock Knock._

"Come in..." Serena glanced up from her laptop.

"Hey," Darien peered his head in the door, but directed his greeting more toward Diana. "You left these in the laundry room." He held out a skimpy red lace demi cup bra, his face slightly rosy in embarrassment.

"Oh, thanks!" Diana casually motioned for Darien to toss it over to her, which he did before silently leaving.

Serena couldn't help but recall the one time one of her bras had been mixed in with Darien's laundry. He mocked her choice in polka dot lingerie, and she had never felt so childish in her life. Diana's choice in undergarments was clearly more mature and she was a lot less modest about her body. Serena couldn't help but wonder if Darien really had been blushing as he held her bra, or if she was just imagining it. Either way, the thought of it all unnerved her. It was clear, she was still a girl, while Diana was a woman.

. . .

Tuesday night's dinner conversation began with Diana asking what Darien was going to focus on for his postgraduate thesis. Serena had no idea what a thesis was. Needless to say, as the two spoke about microglial inter-leukin expression and, with input from Andrew, small molecule kinase inhibitors, Serena sat in silence.

. . .

Wednesday afternoon saw the great book debate spark up.

"No, Heathcliff is an ass!" Diana sat up on the couch as she turned to yell at Darien, sitting on his recliner by the bookshelves. "He puts everybody through hell just because he can't have Catherine? Generations of families and hired help suffer at his hands. That's not love, that's a sickness."

"But he's never known love." Darien defended. "He's never known warmth and affection. He was closest to Cathy, and even she turned him away. She teased him and chose a life of convenience over her love for him. He felt as though he could never be good enough, but instead of wallowing, he picked himself up and got an education. He did all that for her."

"He's still an ass and in no way does his character compare to Dorian Gray. Now _he_ was a character that rose from the ashes of his sins." Diana placed her book down on the coffee table, too engrossed in her debate with Darien to continue reading.

"No he didn't." Darien interjected. "Dorian continued to be corrupted and he embraced it. He knew that painting was his conscience and innocence and he continued to walk the dark path of hedonism until Basil's murder and his own death. He was on a downward spiral of corruption."

"But..." Serena interrupted meekly from her spot next to Gandalf, sitting at the dining table. She glanced up from her textbook, distracted by the raging argument. "What about Sibyl Vane? She could have been his saviour. She was his first love. He was different when he was with her."

"Dumpling, she ended up dying because of him... and so did her brother. In fact, everyone who dies in the book, dies one way or another, by Dorian's hands. The death of Sybil symbolised the death of innocence and purity in Dorian" Darien continued. "Have you even read the book, Dumpling?" Serena frowned. She shut her textbook and gathered all her study materials, taking them all with her into her room. Sure, she was meant to read the book last year for English and didn't, but she still managed to get through the essay with the help of sparknotes. It was clear though, that her opinion wasn't welcome in their literary debate.

"Darien, that was a bit harsh, don't you think?" Diana's voice died down to a whisper.

"No, I don't think it was." Darien shrugged, adjusting his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose. "She doesn't study, I tease her for it. It's our thing."

"Wow Dar, you still don't understand girls at all, do you?"

. . .

When Serena came home from school on Thursday afternoon, she could hear the sound of laughter coming from Darien's room. She walked down the hallway to her bedroom and noticed Diana lying sprawled across Darien's bed, her feet up in the air as she chatted with him. He was leaning back on his study chair, by his desk.

"Hey Dumpling." Darien noticed the figure of the blonde teen slipping into her bedroom.

"Hi." She greeted quickly before shutting the bedroom door behind her. Darien frowned slightly at the cool abruptness of her greeting.

"She's been pretty quiet..." Diana picked up on the look of unease across Darien's face.

"She's not usually like that." Darien explained, staring at her shut bedroom door from where he sat in his room. Serena leaned against her door. She could hear everything they were saying, if she pressed her ear up against her bedroom door. "She's usually a lot happier."

Diana tilted her head to the side as she watched Darien's eyes glaze over. He was clearly deep in thought. "You really care about her, huh?"

"What?" Darien blinked, turning his attention back toward Diana. "Of course not."

"Come on, Dar. You so do!" A playful smile graced Diana's features. "It's written all over your face, even when you're trying your hardest to look like you don't care."

"But I don't care!" The dark haired man shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"What ever!" Diana rolled her eyes. "You're different these days."

"How so?"

"You never used to greet me with a hug." The violet eyed girl slowly began to sit up on Darien's bed. "In fact, I wasn't even sure you were capable of hugging until a few days ago. You never used to talk to me like you do now. When I still lived here, you'd spend all your time at uni, or at the arcade, or you were locked up in your room studying, or sitting out on your balcony being generally broody. And since when did you learn to smile?" Diana's comments earned a shy blush of acknowledgement from Darien. "I see the way you look at her when you think no one's looking, Dar. You clearly care about her."

"Yeah, well..." Darien shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "She's Drew's baby cousin."

"Except, she's not a baby. She's only a few years younger than you, and a female, with beautiful blue eyes, long golden locks, shapely curves, supple breasts..." Diana had a knack for, and loved to make Darien feel mildly uncomfortable in his own skin.

"And she's annoying." Darien interjected.

"You're the one that's annoying!" Diana threw her hands up into the air with exasperation. "I brought up the topic of your thesis the other night to try to make you look good, and all you did was cram the conversation full of sciency jargon. Then I brought up the topic of antiheroes in literature, knowing that Serena had read _A Picture of Dorian Gray_, and you completely shut her down! What were you thinking?"

Silence befell the pair and Darien could only look away, feeling somewhat guilty all of a sudden. It was true, he was pushing her away on purpose. Ever since his adverse reaction after his 'almost-date' with Serena on Valentine's Day, he had tried to distance himself from her a little, telling himself that it would be the best for the both of them. Now that Diana had shown up at their door, needing a place to stay for a little while, it all seemed quite convenient for him to use Diana as a wedge, spending more time with her in order to distance himself from Serena.

"Are you trying to make her jealous?" Diana spoke up, breaking Darien's train of thought.

"Well..." He mumbled, trying to remember what they were previously talking about.

"Oh, Dar, you really know nothing when it comes to girls, do you?" Diana rolled her eyes, smacking the palm of her hand against her forehead lightly. "Let me tell you something. Girls like Serena; good, innocent, sweet girls, don't respond well to the jealousy card. Nor do they deserve to be treated that way." The violet eyed girl explained plainly. "If you like her, then just be honest with her. Show her how you feel, and be a gentleman about it."

"I'm always a gentleman." Darien scoffed lightly, trying to use humour to deflect the serious tone of the conversation. It didn't work. Diana simply raised one of her eyebrows, shooting him a dubious look. The expression on Darien's face straightened back to seriousness. "I don't know why I tease her so much." He added before a look of pensiveness washed over him. "I can't date Serena." He stated solemnly after a moment of quiet reflection.

"Are you still hung up on that stupid princess dream of yours?" Diana crossed her legs on the bed.

"It's not just a stupid dream, Di." Darien responded quietly.

"Uh, yeah... It kinda is." Diana retorted flatly. "It's stopping you from having a serious, functional relationship. One that you obviously _want_ to have." She watched as Darien sat still, listening to her words carefully. He didn't deny it. "So, how long have you been in love with 'Rena for?"

Darien frowned, shooting his close friend a slight glare. "I'm not in love with Dumpling Head." He continued to frown. "Did Andrew tell you that I was?"

"No, but it's good to know that I'm not the only one who can see it." A small smile tugged on Diana's lips at the revelation. "You're in denial, Dar! You both are. You should take her out on a nice date some time." Diana advised as she kicked her feet off the bed, swinging them over the side to stand up. She slowly headed out his room and toward Serena's. "Dar, take my advice. Nice girls like 'Rena don't wait around forever, you know." Serena could hear the sound of footsteps approaching, and Diana's voice becoming louder. She panicked and shoved herself away from her door, flinging her body onto the bed and slipping on her headphones just as Diana reached for the door knob.

As Diana walked into the bedroom, Serena had to suppress the urge to hug the tall brunette woman for trying to get through to Darien. It looked like Diana was more of an ally than a threat, after all.

. . .

Friday saw Diana step out of the apartment to go clubbing, dressed in a black one shoulder body contoured mini dress with black pumps. Gold bangles clinkered on her wrist as she slipped on a pair of gold chandelier earrings and grabbed her clutch on her way out. Serena sighed. The dress hugged Diana's slender figure well, accentuating all her womanly curves, while her choice in accessories screamed class and sophistication, and not at all trashy or cheap.

"You smell nice." Darien complimented as Diana headed for the front door.

"Thanks, Dar!" She flashed a winning smile and just like that, she was out the door.

"Right, I'm outta here." Serena grabbed a small purse and slung her shoulder bag over her arm as she too, stalked over toward the door.

"Wait, where are you going, Dumpling?" Darien called out from his recliner. Serena cringed at his nickname for her.

"Out." She stated flatly.

"But it's 9."

"I know." Serena shrugged. "I'm going to Mina's. I need to talk to her."

"You couldn't just call her? We _do_ have these things call telephones, you know." Darien slowly rose to his feet. "Wait, you're not going out on your own this late at night. It's not safe."

"Like you care." Serena refused to look back as she shut the apartment door behind her.

A block and a half later, Serena found herself totally in the opposite direction to Mina's house, standing outside the Crown Arcade. She grumbled something about stupid meat-heads before shuffling inside. It was rather busy for a Friday night. Sidestepping patrons, Serena made her way up to the counter before slumping her upper body across it.

"I just cleaned that." Andrew mock frowned. "What are you doing out so late?"

"I just... needed to get out of the house." Serena sighed, her warm breath causing a patch of condensation on the counter, which she hastily wiped away with her shirt sleeve before Andrew scolded her for it.

"And Darien didn't say anything about you going out?" Andrew tossed a clean rag at Serena's head before placing a spray bottle of disinfectant nearby.

"He protested... I guess. I don't know. I didn't really give him a chance." Serena slowly sat up on the barstool and proceeded to absentmindedly wipe down the counter. "I just... I don't feel like I belong there anymore." Serena sighed. "I feel like he doesn't even know I'm there."

"Are you feeling a little jealous of Diana?" Andrew began preparing a chocolate milkshake for his number one non-paying patron.

"I guess… something like that." Serena admitted. "It's just, he treats her so differently than he does me. He talks to her like an adult, and he actually listens to what she has to say. Whereas he's always so condescending to me, treating me like I'm just a little kid."

"Yes, well, one can very easily mistake his affection as condescension." Andrew nodded in understanding. "But 'Rena, he's playful around you. He's not like that with anyone else."

"Exactly! I'm the only one on the face of the earth that he teases, and I'm sick of it." Serena continued to vigorously scrub at the one spot on the counter before Andrew gingerly reached for the cloth, pulling it away slowly. "I just thought that maybe he was socially awkward around all girls and that doesn't know how to talk to any of them, but that's not the case. He can have a proper conversation with women. He even knows how to compliment them, so why can't he be like that with me?"

"Because he cares about you in a different way to how he cares about other people." Andrew explained without wanting to blurt out that his best friend was in love with her. "He actually likes you a lot, 'Rena. More than most people. I guess, he's just not ready to admit it yet, and him acting like an overprotective big brother is the only way he can really express himself since he won't admit that he's in lov-"

_Ring Ring._

"Sorry Andy," Serena glanced down at her phone. "It's Mina, I should really take this." She swivelled around on her bar stool, as though that would give her any privacy in the crowded arcade. "Hey Mina, what's up?"

"'Rena, where are you?" Mina's voice sounded concerned, coming from the other end of the line.

"I'm at the Arcade, why?" Serena slowly reached for her brooch.

"The arcade?" Mina repeated for her guest to hear.

Darien had been standing outside of Mina's house for half an hour. Concerned for Serena's safety, he had driven there in hopes of taking her home when she was ready. This wasn't to be though, because when Darien approached Mina while she was taking out the rubbish, Mina, frightfully confessed that she hadn't seen Serena all day. Panic set in and Mina decided that she would try calling her friend's cell phone. Thankfully she picked up and divulged her real location. Darien mouthed something about not telling her that he had been there. Mina nodded, still buying time on the phone to Serena, waiting until he had gotten back into his car before blurting everything out.

"'Rena, Darien was just here. He was standing around outside my house, waiting for you. When I told him that you hadn't come over, he absolutely freaked out! He was so worried!" Mina divulged eagerly. "What's going on?"

"I..." Serena blinked, a little stunned. "I told him I was going out... I didn't think he'd try to follow me."

"You shouldn't worry the love of your life like that, 'Rena." Mina poked her tongue out cheekily, even though her friend couldn't see.

"But Mina, he-" at that point, the sound of tyres coming to a screeching halt just outside the arcade could be heard, and a moment later, Darien stalked in through the sliding doors. His attention fell upon the blonde teen, talking on her phone at the counter. Andrew had overheard enough snippets of conversation to piece together all that was going on. He pointed to the 'Employees only' back room area, gaining Darien's attention momentarily. It was evident that he was not happy. "Mina, I have to go." Serena whispered urgently into her phone before ending the call, just as Darien yanked her up off the bar stool and dragged the petite blonde into the back room of the arcade.

"What were you thinking, telling me you were going to see Mina in the middle of the night, and then going to the arcade instead?" Darien's voice roared so loudly that it caused Serena to wince. "Do you have any idea what went through my mind as soon as Mina told me that you hadn't been over? I thought that someone had kidnapped you along the way, Sere."

"I didn't ask you to follow me, you know! And what about Diana?" Serena crossed her arms defiantly, still not understanding the double standard that she was being subjected to. "She's out in the city alone tonight, dressed in a lot less than I am right now. Why aren't you chasing her down, Officer Chiba?"

"I'm not worried about Diana, she can look after herself." Darien barked back.

"I'm not a kid, you know. I can look after myself too!" Serena hollered, her face turning red with anger.

"I know you can!" Darien yelled back, recalling the fact that she was Sailor Moon. "I just..." his voice died down into a hushed tone. He was uncertain of what to say next. Sure, he was confident about her capabilities as Sailor Moon, and he knew that she was strong enough to fend off just about any attack by a mere civilian, but he still couldn't help but worry. "I don't want anything to happen to you." His voice now seemed soft and gentle. "I know you can defend yourself, but I just don't want you to have the opportunity to have to. I don't want to see you hurt."

Serena recalled the words Andrew had said earlier. _"He cares about you in a different way to how he cares about other people... He actually likes you a lot, 'Rena." _She had been so stubborn up until now. Instead of thanking him for being so concerned over her wellbeing, she yelled at him for caring about her safety. It was then that she remembered that even Sailor Moon had Tuxedo Mask to watch over her. Serena furrowed her brows slightly, before looking up at the man before her. Her voice was small, timid and came out as a mere whisper. "Watashi o mamoru (Protect me)"

In that instant, Darien reached his hand out and pulled Serena in close to his body, wrapping his arms around her as he held her tightly. He felt her body tense up against his momentarily. For once, he had been the one to hug her, and for once she had been on the receiving end. She clearly wasn't expecting the sudden embrace, but he knew that she had used his name for effect, and it had worked. "Watashi wa itsumo anata o mamoru (I will always protect you)" Mamoru whispered back gently before pulling away slowly. He flicked one of her hair buns. "But only because you're such an innocent and naive Dumpling Head." 

* * *

. . .

Okay, so I struggled with the idea of adding an outside character for a while, fearing that Diana would get the 'Mary Sue' label, but she's really not. I wanted to add another character to break up the monotony of our favourite trio, whilst pushing the Sere/Dar relationship along, and I think that this was the best way. Using another canon character is difficult, because we all have preconceived notions of what that character should say or how they should behave. I intentionally chose the name Diana, knowing that it was the name of Luna and Artemis's kitten; so it's a familiar name, with close ties to Endymion, but is not a main character in the canon.

Anyway, let me know what you think, Diana won't be in very many chapters... just enough to get Sere & Dar together... maybe ^_^

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	27. Strength, Desire & Motivation

Holy Schmow guys! Here's the latest chapter! Frankly, I'm not all that happy with this chapter… it's too dialogue heavy, but I haven't posted In a while (drowning in research articles) I know you're all DYING to see Sere & Dar get it on, and I'm dodging the occasional rotten tomatoes here and there, but I'd like to remind you all that it took the anime 34 painfully repetitive monster of the day episodes to reveal the identity of the Moon Princess and establish the Usa/Mamo relationship. Just relax and enjoy the ride that is this story. Embrace the UST, love the UST, indulge in the complexity that is Darien's indecisiveness… because in the next 6 or so chapters… the dynamics of their relationship are all about to change.

_**Thanks to:**_ Guest, trish1573, Guest, Swtmelody637, Perfect Beauty, Guest, Miss Katrina Malfoy, beaucoup riant, Lunachan90, Kelly, kbtjmandy, MinnieMoosi, smfan4ever72, sazbelle, Guest, Selena, Guest, devilsangels11287, KittyKat, SerentiyMoonGodness, usako, Guest, White Eternity, SailorMoon489, BostonBill, LoveInTheBattleField, Infinity4ev3, Princess Moonie of the moon, Red-Elephant _**and**_ Mzmiami **_for reviewing the previous chapter._**

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 27 – Strength, Desire and Motivation

.

"If you're not actively involved in getting what you want, you don't really want it."  
_[-Peter McWilliams]_

_._

"Hmm... what to cook... what to cook..." Darien mused to himself as he stood in the fresh produce section of the grocery store, holding onto an empty shopping basket. "Curry? No... we had that last week..."

Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a tall brunette with her wavy hair fixed back with a green hair tie. She walked straight past him. "Lita?" Darien turned around, trying to gain her attention, but she seemed lost in her own thoughts. "Lita!" He called out once more, a little louder. This time, he placed a hand on her shoulder, jolting her out of her semi-mesmerised state. She swiftly grabbed hold of his arm and twisted it behind his back, kicking him in the back of the leg, rendering him down onto his knees. It all happened so swiftly, as part of her trained defence mechanism.

"Oh! Darien!" She blinked, immediately releasing her hold on him. "I'm so sorry! You startled me, and I guess it's just a force of habit..."

"Oh sure," Darien rubbed his now aching shoulder as he bent over to pick up his empty shopping basket. "Because killing comes naturally to you, right?" His voice dripped of playful sarcasm and she blushed in response.

"What are you doing here?" Lita placed her bag of apples into her own basket, changing topics to try and hide her embarrassment.

"Other than getting a lesson on how to get my ass handed to me by a high school girl? Just shopping for dinner." She winced slightly and Darien shot her a reassuring smile. "I'm kidding. It's really alright, Lita. I just have a bruised masculinity, and lightly crushed ego now."

"Well, I really wish you'd stop bringing it up then..." Lita frowned, pouting slightly. "You don't seem to have gotten very far with your shopping yet." She added. "If you're stuck on ideas, 'Rena mentioned that she really had a hankering for some minestrone soup the other day."

"Thanks, that sounds like a good idea." Darien noted as they both moved over to the tomatoes. "So... have you tried to teach Serena any of your karate moves? Or would that just make her lethally hazardous?"

Lita smiled at the thought of trying to teach Serena karate. "Darien, do you know what I see when I look at Serena?" She finally spoke after a moment or two of silent thought. "Yes, she's a bit of a klutz at times, but she's also strong. Maybe not physically, but mentally and emotionally. She has the strongest sense of moral justice of anybody I know." Placing a couple tomatoes in her basket, she waited for Darien to finish picking out his before continuing. "She fights for what is right, what she believes in her heart, and she never lets anybody tell her otherwise."

The dark haired man nodded silently in acknowledgement before Lita continued. "Strength is not a noble asset without compassion, and Serena has taught me that." The tall brunette explained. "She also helped me to see my own personality strengths, and she has always been there for me when I needed her. That, on its own, is stronger than any lesson I can give her."

"So she'd be horrible at karate then?" Darien questioned.

"Completely untrainable." Lita admitted swiftly and Darien laughed out loud.

"You're right though." He began slowly once his laughter had died down. "She's very reliable. She has a beautiful soul."

"I'm glad to hear you say that." Lita smiled warmly. "I'm really glad you can see it too."

* * *

"You're back!" Diana greeted as Darien nudged the apartment door open, dragging in bags of groceries. "I'm so bored." The brunette casually strolled over and helped the man with his bags.

"Where's Dumpling Head?" Darien glanced over at the clock on the kitchen wall. Surely she had to be home from school already.

"She's in her room… doing her homework." Diana unpacked the bag she was holding as Darien began to prepare dinner. "She kicked me out because I was talking too much and distracting her. Do you believe that?! Me? A distraction!"

"She must have a pretty big test coming up if she's that serious about not being distracted while studying." Darien frowned, becoming sidetracked in his own thoughts as he placed the crushed tomatoes into the soup pot. "I wonder if she needs any help…" his voice trailed away and Diana watched as Darien's brows furrowed in deep thought. It was almost like she could see the cogs ticking away in his head.

"Well, if you're going to help her study, then be nice about it." Diana reached into one of the kitchen drawers and rummaged around for the soup ladle.

"I'm nice…" Darien began, and almost immediately, Diana snorted in response.

"You're snobby and patronising." The violet eyed girl took over stirring the tomato soup base, adjusting the heat on the stovetop. "But we all know that that's just your geeky, awkward boy way of trying to impress her and show her you're smart. Why don't you just try to make learning _fun_ for 'Rena?"

"I do-" Just as Darien began to add the rustic cut vegetables into his minestrone soup, he could hear the familiar sound of Serena's communicator beeping from her room. "I, uh-" Darien turned the heat down on the stovetop before wiping his hands with a cloth. "I just remembered that I forgot to buy one of the ingredients for the soup..." his heart pounded in his chest and his head throbbed as the blood rushed to it. The back of his eyes felt as though they were prickling from the pressure in response to Sailor Moon's transformation.

"What is it?" Diana frowned, watching Darien's evident discomfort. "It looks like you have all the ingredients on the bench top. Whatever it is, I'm sure we can do without-"

"No," Darien ground out through clenched teeth, struggling to suppress his own spontaneous transformation from occurring. It only ever hurt when he tried to suppress it. "I-I'll be back soon." He reached for his car keys.

"I'll come with you." Diana placed the ladle down on the kitchen counter beside the stove, before Darien immediately snatched it back up and roughly placed it back into her hands.

"No, you need to watch over dinner and make sure it doesn't burn or overcook." Darien ordered firmly. "Stay here." And with that, Darien was out the door and bolting up to the rooftop.

Rolling her eyes, Diana sighed out loud to the empty room. She slowly stalked over to the pot of mildly simmering soup and nudged it. It didn't explode. Feeling bored already, she headed down the hallway into Serena's room.

"Hey, 'Rena, I know you're supposed to be studying but-" Diana burst through the door to find the bedroom empty. "Strange... when did she sneak out?" The violet eyed brunette scanned the room before shrugging to herself. She threw herself onto Serena's bed, bouncing up and down on it momentarily. It seemed nice and springy. This eventually became an exercise in futility, and Diana slumped her body down onto her mattress on the floor.

Diana sat there for half an hour, staring at the ceiling while twiddling her thumbs. Eventually she got up to turn the stove off. The soup had finished cooking, and still no sign of Darien or Serena. Andrew wouldn't finish work until later that night. As Diana shuffled her lazy feet back to Serena's room, she was surprised to see the flutter of a blue skirt and a pair of long legs climbing through the window.

"Holy meat packing mother of Aphrodite!" Diana exclaimed loudly. "It's Sailor M-"

"Shh!" The blonde heroine waved her hands about in order to try to get the alarmed girl to stop talking. If she wasn't careful, Darien would hear, and it would blow her cover. "Oh, this is bad... bad bad bad bad bad..." Sailor Moon cringed. "I uh... I'm obviously lost. I should get going..." The pretty suited soldier hastily began to clamber out the window before Diana protested loudly, running over to drag the girl back into the room.

"What? No! You should stay!" Diana insisted. "Man, my roommate would have a field day if she found out that Sailor Moon was in her room. She's a big fan, you see-"

"Yeah, that's nice to hear, but I really should be going-" Sailor Moon stuttered slightly as she tried to pull away.

"Oh, come on, Miss Moon... let me make you some tea or something. It's the least I can do for Tokyo's guardian!"

Sailor Moon sighed. It was clear that she wasn't going to get out of this in one piece. Diana was just way too insistent. In any moment, the hyper-vigilant brunette was going to pull out some ropes from somewhere in order to tie the heroine down until someone came home to witness her presence. "Diana, it's-"

"Phwoar! You know my name!" The violet eyed girl jumped up and down excitedly. "Hey so are you like, Santa? You know, like how you know everyone's names. That's so cool!"

"Diana, it's me, Serena." Sailor Moon ignored the overly enthusiastic barrage of questions coming from her roommate.

"What? No way!" A broad smile spread across Diana's lips. "You're pulling my leg. You're all like _Kapow _and _Phworarrr_ and _Pow! Glitter_ and stuff! Whereas Serena's all sweet and cute and innocent and-" Sailor Moon waved her hand over her brooch, transforming back into her civilian form in a flurry of crimson ribbons. The colour drained from Diana's face. "I just saw your boobies." She stated monotonously. For some reason, that was the first and only thought that popped into her mind for some time. "Not very modest about your transformation phase, huh?" She finally added, much to the embarrassment of Serena.

"No, I just thought that it'd be pretty much impossible for me to tell you to look away." Serena covered her rosy cheeks with the palms of her hands. "You have the vice-like grip of an eagle." She rubbed at her left wrist gently.

"I'm bunking with Sailor Moon!" Diana exclaimed excitedly. "I have to tell someone!" She turned to bolt out the room, but Serena pounced.

"No! You can't tell anybody about this, especially not Darien!" Serena hissed.

"Relax, he's not home." Diana waved her hand about in a dismissing manner. "He went out to go buy some last minute ingredient for dinner."

"Diana, please don't tell him." Serena pleaded earnestly. "Andy knows, but not Darien. He can't find out about this." Her cerulean eyes began to water with unshed tears, fearful that the divulgence of her secret would spell disaster for any hope of a normal relationship with Darien. Diana sighed and her shoulders slumped slightly.

"Fine, you win." She pouted. "Ruin my fun why don't you, 'Rena?" Her violet eyes glimmered with sincerity. "You have my word that I will keep your secret."

"Thank you." Serena sighed in relief.

* * *

Dinner was enthusiastically scoffed down by Serena as she flicked through her textbook at the same time. Once finished, Darien offered to clear the table, so the blonde dumpling headed school girl could get back to her study.

"What's the catch?" Serena frowned, watching as Darien gently pried her empty bowl from her grasp.

"No catch." A gentle smile graced Darien's features. "You're busy studying tonight, so you should get back to it. Don't worry about cleaning up, I'll handle it."

After a few more moments of confused staring, Serena finally conceded and returned back to her bedroom. Diana watched as Darien silently began to load the dish washer. The smile had not yet faded from his face.

"See, that wasn't so hard now, was it?" Diana leaned back on her chair casually as she watched Darien clean up the kitchen. Once he was done, he silently decided to head down the hallway and into his room. Diana, bored out of her brains, quietly stalked two steps behind.

"What are you-" Darien frowned as he sat down on his desk chair and noticed Diana strolling into his room. "I'm about to start studying…" His gaze shifted from Diana, toward the door, then back to Diana once more, signalling that he wanted some peace from her incessant shadowing presence.

The indigo eyed girl ignored his sign language, opting instead to openly explore Darien's room. "Hey, this is a really cool paper weight!" Diana reached behind one of Darien's medical textbooks on his book case. "Planning on proposing to 'Rena with it?" She pulled the green gem out from the far corner of the shelf. "Oh, wait, there are two! You've got an orange one as well."

"Don't touch those!" Darien lunged at the curious, meddling woman. Diana sidestepped her friend and held the gems up to inspect them closer. "What are these crystals?" They seemed almost as light as air as she held them on the palms of her hands.

"Nothing." Darien frowned as he unsuccessfully attempted to snatch the crystals away again. "Put them back, Di!"

"Hmm... I'm not convinced." Diana held the two crystals together and they both seemed to shrink slightly in size. "Maybe I'll ask Serena for her opinion."

"No!" Darien barked. Before either one of them could blink, a razor sharp red rose skimmed past Diana's cheek before embedding itself into Darien's bedroom door.

"What-" Diana slowly turned around to face her best friend.

"You can't tell Serena I have those." Darien twirled another rose within his fingers as he slowly walked over and reached past Diana, plucking the first projectile out of the door like a dart from a board. "We're after the same thing." He reached for Diana's hand that clutched both the crystals, prying them from her grasp.

"Those roses…" Diana felt her whole body tremble slightly. "They're not ordinary roses…" A heavy silence filled the room. Diana opened her mouth a number of times, only to find that her voice failed to sound. "You're Tux-"

"Hey guys, I'm home!" Andrew hollered from the doorway.

2.4 seconds. That's how long it took for Diana to run out of Darien's room and drag Andrew out into the hallway. "Super heroes!" Her voice was a barely audible whisper, but she was struggling hard to contain her super quiet yelling. "We're living with super heroes?!"

"Uh, maybe we should talk about this on the rooftop." Andrew slowly caught onto Diana's agonisingly silent excitement and disbelief.

. . .

"Oh my goodness." Diana slowly massaged her temples as she tried to digest all this newfound information. "So, Serena is Sailor Moon." She watched Andrew nodding his head in all seriousness, like it wasn't one of the strangest things ever. "And Darien is Tuxedo Mask..."

"Right." Andrew confirmed.

"Drew, you're not a super hero as well, are you?" Diana frowned. "Please tell me you're not like... Sailor Venus or something, are you? Because that would seriously be just the weirdest thing ever and I don't think I could manage knowing that I somehow missed out when they were handing out sweet super powers." Diana drew in a deep breath in order to try and calm her thoughts. "Is anyone in Tokyo just normal these days, or does everyone have some sort of crime fighting alter ego? I swear if you tell me Astro Boy lives next door I'm gonna flip..."

"Calm down, Di." Andrew suppressed the urge to laugh. "I'm not a super hero. It just worked out that those two are."

"So, you're telling me that Serena's Sailor Moon, Darien's Tuxedo Mask, Dar knows that 'Rena is Sailor Moon, but 'Rena doesn't know that Dar is Tuxedo Mask, nor does she know that Darien knows that she's Sailor Moon."

"In a nutshell." Andrew nodded. "And you and I now know everything, but you're not to tell Serena about Darien's identity."

"You know that I'm horrible at keeping secrets." Diana sighed. "And you know that this is the mother of all secrets. This… could kill me!"

"I know, Di, but it's not your secret to keep. It's Darien's and we have to respect his wishes." Andrew explained. "He seems to think that if Serena found out, it could put them both in danger."

"And 'Rena thinks that if Darien knows that she's Sailor Moon, it would ruin any chances of her having a normal relationship with him."

"Serena told you this?" Andrew's posture stiffened as he stood upright in interest. "She told you that she wanted to have a relationship with Darien?"

"Damn it!" Diana cursed out loud, burying her face in the palms of her hands. "See?! I can't do this! I'm horrible at keeping secrets!"

This whole time, Andrew had worked hard to try to gain some sort of confession from Serena. He had suspected that she had feelings for Darien, but she always denied it. All it took was another female in the house.

"Drew," Diana began, a curious tone reflected in her voice. "You know that Sailor Moon has a major crush on Tuxedo Mask, right? The tabloids are all over that."

"Yeah. I know." Andrew nodded. "She's always been star-struck. That girl doesn't really do subtle very well, does she?"

"And now you know that Serena has a crush on Darien." Diana rolled her eyes at her own stupidity for revealing Serena's very personal secret. "What do you think the likelihood is that Darien's smitten over 'Rena too?"

"High. Very high."

"It all seems just that little bit too convenient, don't you think?" Diana leaned against the rooftop ledge. "It's almost like their fates are intertwined." She mused out loud. "Perhaps Serena is the princess that Darien's been searching for all these years."

"That couldn't be possible... could it?" Andrew shook his head vigorously at first, but the more he thought about it, the more the crazy idea seemed somewhat plausible. "No, because Sailor Moon is also searching for some sort of princess related to these rainbow crystals. She would have to know if she was the princess…" Andrew frowned, still debating the idea in his mind. "Surely not. She's too clumsy."

"Well, I bet 2000¥ that Serena is the princess." Diana crossed her arms decisively. "She just has to be, with the way those two are around each other."

"I just wish that Darien would forget about the princess and date Serena already." The tall blonde man raked his fingers through his hair in mild frustration. "All this back and forth action between them two; the not so subtle flirting, the unresolved sexual tension, Darien's waxing and waning moods… it's doing my head in and I've just about had enough. I'm too old to try to keep up with this couple."

"Well… I'll fix that and get them together." A broad grin spread across Diana's face as she began to formulate ideas in her mind. "Just leave it to me."

"Do you hear something?" Andrew ducked behind an exhaust vent, pulling Diana with him. "Someone's coming…" Just as the words left his lips, the two watched as Serena slowly pushed the door to the rooftop and stepped outside. She looked around anxiously as if searching for somebody.

"'Rena?" Diana tilted her head to the side curiously. "What-" She began, but Andrew spotted a dark shadow from the corner of his eyes and swiftly muted her mouth with the palm of his hand.

The click of heavy boots against the concrete of the rooftop startled Serena and she swiftly turned around to face the stranger. "Tuxedo Mask…" Her voice trembled slightly with nervousness.

"You came." His voice sounded deeper whenever he spoke, transformed in his alter ego form.

"Well… you asked me to meet me here at nine." Serena's attention fell onto her clammy, fidgeting hands. "I-I-It's nine."

"So it is…" Tuxedo Mask struggled to think of how to make the moment a little less awkward. She seemed to be quite intimidated at the thought of meeting him alone. The gentle sound of a man smacking his hand against his forehead could be heard echoing into the darkness of the night, and Diana struggled to hold back the sound of her laughter at Andrew's response to all the dramatic corniness of the scene unfolding before them. "I…" Tuxedo Mask began once more, taking a step closer to Serena. "I wanted to give you something…"

Serena's eyes shot up to the masked man quickly. "The green rainbow crystal from earlier tonight?"

He shook his head slowly, edging even closer still. Serena shuffled back slightly, feeling as though her personal space was slowly becoming invaded. When Tuxedo Mask took another step forward, maintaining his close proximity to her, alarm bells went off in her mind and Serena began to panic. All of a sudden, she felt like a meek little rabbit, being hunted by a blood thirsty predator. "Sorry Miss Moon," Tuxedo Mask drawled as he reached out to stop her from moving any further away from him. Snaking an arm around her waist, he swiftly pulled her in closer until her small frame was pressed against his body. She trembled against him, but didn't struggle. "I can't give you that…"

"Then… what?" Serena struggled to try and act cool and composed, and not at all terrified. She displayed her defiant facade by staring up at the man before her. Looking away would only make her look submissive and intimidated. Still, her breaths were shallow and rapid, and she couldn't still the incessant heavy thumping of her pounding heart.

He smiled at her innocent question, and her act of bravery. "Maybe I should make myself a little clearer…" His leaned in closer as he spoke, and was glad to see she didn't pull away. "Maybe it's not so much that I want to give you something, Miss Moon…" His warm breath tickled against her trembling lips. "-but more that I want something from you…" His lips brushed against hers momentarily before she pushed herself away, barely putting an inch between them.

"T-T-Tuxedo Mask…" Serena nibbled on her bottom lip as she looked up at him once more. Silence fell upon the two as Serena took a moment to try to string together her scattered thoughts and recompose her quivering voice.

"Serena," The way her name rolled across his tongue like thick chocolatey velvet sent shivers down her spine. "Are you afraid?" She nodded silently, fearful of his reaction. "Of me?" He asked, seeking further clarification.

"You know who I am, but I have no clue about who you really are." Serena began slowly. "We're alone together on this dark rooftop, and nobody knows I'm here with you right now." As she continued to speak, her voice began to find its strength once more. "You could do anything to me right now and I…"

"But you didn't come here transformed." Tuxedo Mask pointed out.

"Because I didn't come here to fight you…" A gentle frown momentarily washed across Serena's features and she took a deep breath, wondering if it was a good idea to be doing this. Maybe she should've at least told Darien that she was going out.

"Then don't." Tuxedo Mask interrupted her train of thought. "Don't fight me. Just give me what I came here for." His eyes darkened beneath his mask, and before Serena could panic at the menacing sound of his words, he leaned forward and captured her lips with his own, parting them with his tongue to deepen the kiss.

She was completely passive, and slightly resistant at first, but with each gentle, passionate stroke of his tongue against hers, and nip of her lips, she gave way to the spark that ignited in her heart, and melted against him. Tilting her head to the side, she gave him full access and responded back with just as much intensity.

"We shouldn't be watching this…" Diana whispered to Andrew and he turned to face the other way, but the brunette was simply unable to pry her eyes away from the couple.

Eventually the passionate sparks of the kiss mellowed to a warm blaze and Serena reluctantly pulled away. "I have to go before someone realises I'm missing…"

The masked man nodded his head in understanding. "Then I'll see you again tomorrow night… same place, same time." He released his hold of the petite blonde and she took a few steps back, toward the fire escape that lead back to the safety of her apartment. "And remember, Miss Moon... not a word to anybody." To his relief, she nodded her head silently, a slight bashful smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she lifted her hands up against her burning cheeks.

"I'll see you tomorrow…" Serena reiterated before heading toward the rooftop entrance. Heading down the stairs, she found her knees were wobbly and her legs felt like they were made of pudding. Yes, she had kissed him once before, but it just seemed as though every time she did, the flame of her soul rekindled and burned with red, hot desire.

Sneaking back into the apartment as quietly as she could manage, her heart practically stopped beating as her eyes fell upon Darien, sitting on the recliner in the living room.

"Where have you been?" He stood up slowly from his seat, turning to face the incredibly guilty looking girl, with his arms folded across his chest.

"I… I just went up to the rooftop to get some fresh air." Serena glanced away briefly, before deciding that the best way to try to look convincing was to look the man directly in the eyes. His cheeks were slightly rosy, like he was a little flustered, and his hair was tousled a little more than usual. Leaning in closer, Serena squinted her eyes slightly. "Are you wearing pink lip gloss?" She pointed out Darien's strangely slick looking lips and his fingers immediately shot up to rub the sticky gloss away.

"Don't be ridiculous!" He licked his lips to try to remove the rest of the incriminating evidence and as he did, he could taste her cherry lip gloss on his tongue again. Darien turned his head to hide the fact that his cheeks were now glowing with a bright amaranth hue at the thought of doing it all again the following night.

* * *

. . .

I'd like to remind you all that I love you guys. You guys are the best readers and reviewers a writer can have. You're all so supportive and I love that so many of you are following and loving this story as much as I am. *Cyber hugs you all* Stay awesome guys! I'll try to cram in another update as soon as I can.

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	28. Murphy's Law: Incidence 3

This is the last chapter I will ever write for this story, and Summer Rain is now on permanent hiatus… No- I'm kidding! But it certainly takes the sting out of having to wait for Sere & Dar to get together, now doesn't it? =P But I bet you're all reading the chapter title thinking,_ 'Oh no... they were getting close! Crystal's gonna be mean again.'_ Yeah... I am... a little. But at least you know that I'll never give up on this story.

Sorry for my leave of absence. I was invited to join a forum on FFN and it was fun for a while until I had to censor my opinions. Also as a result of my association with said forum, it looks like I received a couple flames. *Shrugs* Just goes to show the maturity levels of some individuals on this site, hmm? Anyway, back to what you're all here for!

_**Thanks to:**_ Guest, Guest, Guest, H. Wales, Lunachan90, blonde-gal, smfan4ever72, MarsCrystal42, nofreakingway, MissTexMex, Guest, stephumz, Anne, MinnieMoosi, caiteexx, SerentiyMoonGodness, Guest, Kelly, CharmedSerenity3, Alex, Marcela, Infinity 4 3ver, KittyKat, kbtjmandy, devilsangels11287, NZBunny, Lucee, Mill Qs, sailormoon0630, Guest, amethysth, Miss Katrina Malfoy, Perfect Beauty, LoveInTheBattleField, Princess Moonie of the Moon, Usako, Guest, Sailor Rallison, SailorMoon489, Polevault Princess, Guest, Guest, _**and**_ natashasurgirl _**for reviewing the previous chapter**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 1- Murphy's Law: Instance #3

.

"Anything that _can _go wrong, _will _go wrong"

.

"Heeeey theeeere, Andy-boy..." Serena skipped up to her cousin with a sing-songy quality in her voice "Can you pleeease siiiiign this permissiiiion slip?"

"I'm still your older cousin." Andrew raised an eyebrow as he watched his strangely bubbly younger cousin. "That's _Sir_ Andy-boy to you, thank you very much." He snatched the pen and note away from Serena, scanning over it quickly. "What's it for?"

"A school field trip. It's not for another three weeks." Serena rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. Ever since the week before, she had started disappearing every night at the same time to rendezvous with her masked Romeo, and it had effectively increased her happiness exponentially. Her mood had lifted and she seemed like the carefree, free spirit that she had been before all the events that had lead her to moving in with him. Andrew knew that his two now-overly-peachy housemates were secretly meeting on the rooftop every night, but couldn't say anything to either of them for fear that spoiling the secrecy factor would also ruin any chances of them finally getting together. "Apparently our class is going to spend the weekend in the national park and observatory."

"Sounds fun. How long will you be gone?" Andrew continued to skim over the contents of the note.

"Sounds like a boooore!" Serena blew a raspberry. "We'll leave from school on Friday afternoon at 5, and come back 6am Monday morning... because 5 days of school isn't enough, they want us wasting our weekends learning too." She rolled her eyes, huffing her bangs away in frustration. Andrew couldn't help but chuckle.

"Alright, I'll sign it, but only after you call up and run it by your mother first."

. . .

A few days later, Andrew packed his weekend bag and checked the fridge to make sure it was stocked with enough meals and soup to last everybody for the weekend. Diana had contracted a cold, while Serena was currently suffering from influenza, and Andrew could not afford to fall sick at this stage in the semester. His exam block was scheduled for the following week, so he had decided to spend the weekend camped out at Reika's apartment.

"Are you sure you two are going to be okay by yourselves tonight? Darien will be at his graduate dinner tonight and probably won't be back until late." Andrew checked the pantry supplies before he turned to the two miserable, pathetically weak looking girls and gave them a pitiful sigh.

"We'll be fine, Andy." Serena smiled weakly. Her cheeks were flushed bright red and beads of sweat clung to her forehead, yet she was rugged up and visibly shivering. Diana nodded as she picked up her pen and paper pad. During the course of the week, she had managed to lose her voice.

'_Hurry up and go before we sneeze all over you.'_ She jotted on her pad and Andrew chuckled, recoiling back slightly.

"Alright, alright. I'm going! Take care, you two. If you need anything... call Darien. Otherwise, I'll be back in a few days." Andrew grabbed his man-bag and practically bolted for the door.

'_I'm going to take some lozenges and some cold medicine. The drowsy kind. If you need me, I'll be in a comatose, disoriented state, lying somewhere in your room.' _Diana scribbled on her little notepad as she popped a couple of capsules into her mouth, cringing as though she was swallowing a hedgehog.

"I should probably try to get to sleep too." Serena nodded in agreement. "My body feels so weak." She placed the cold, wet hand towel over her forehead and shuddered.

* * *

Darien stumbled back into the apartment at two in the morning. It was rather uncharacteristic of him to be out at that time of night, let alone drunk at such a late hour, but it was different today. It was a significant day, and a day for celebration. As he shuffled down the hallway, a bolt of inspiration struck him on the butt. He turned away from his bedroom door and instead, he reached for Serena's doorknob. Slipping into her dark room, it took Darien many attempts to manoeuvre past bits of furniture to get to Serena's bed. Eventually, he made it to her side and knelt down before her sleeping form.

"Pssst. Dumpling, hey Dumpling Head." Darien whispered loudly as he shook her gently. "Wake up. I have something I want to tell you, and now is probably the best time considering I'm still a little tipsy."

"Dar...?" Her groggy voice sounded barely like a rumble as she turned over in bed and squinted her eyes to try and find the source of the voice within the darkness. The act of turning over in bed disoriented her to the point of nausea and her head felt incredibly heavy all of a sudden. She was drowsy beyond belief from the cold medication and it took great effort on her behalf to stay awake, let alone focused on what the drunk man before her was rambling about.

"I'm leaving." Darien blurted out. "I'm going to study abroad. My application was accepted today, and I leave in three weeks if I can get all my documents together in time." He waited for a response. All he received was a sleepy groan. Why was he telling her all this? All she wanted to do right now was sleep. "I know! Exciting, isn't it?" Darien continued, pepped up nevertheless. "But anyway, I thought I'd let you know. I've been meaning to tell you for a while now, but I haven't been able to pluck up the courage, mostly because it means having to say goodbye to you. That's the one thing I haven't been looking forward to. If I could take you with me, I would. You make me smile every day." Darien's heart began to beat heavily within his chest. "I didn't want to leave without tying up loose ends, but I didn't know if I should even bother telling you this." Another groan slipped from the sleepy girl as she rubbed her eyes, trying to decipher exactly what Darien was saying. He seemed to be babbling quite a bit. This was probably the most she had ever heard him say in one sitting.

"What I'm trying to say, Serena, is that... well..." Darien placed his hand in front of him and found her cheek. Caressing her face gently, he leaned in towards her, stopping only when he could feel her breath on his lips. "I'm in love with you." Capturing her lips against his, Darien was prepared to give the petite girl the most bone crushing, spine tingling kiss that she had ever experienced. More romantic than her first, and still more passionate than her second; Darien moved to deepen the kiss. The taste of beer and cherry flavoured cough syrup danced along his tongue as she groaned, pushing against him in protest.

"Guys, can you keep your conversation down, some of us are trying to slee..." Light flooded the bedroom as Serena swung her door open to investigate the source of the drunken murmurs. She stepped back in utter confusion as she watched Darien pull away from an evidently passionate kiss with Diana, on her bed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to..." Serena blinked a number of times as she flicked the light switch off and backed out of her room, running back to the comfort of the bed in Andrew's room.

Darien sat down on the floor of the dark room and closed his eyes, trying to piece together the events that led him to this moment. Slowly, a hand reached out in the darkness and patted him on the head for a moment. Eventually the hand found what it was searching for and the nearby lamp dimly illuminated the previously dark room.

"Diana?!" Darien watched as the violet eyed brunette sat up groggily in bed. "What are you doing in Serena's bed?" She looked at him under lowered lids, gently swaying back and forth as she too, attempted to comprehend what was going on. "Why didn't you stop me?" Darien smacked the palm of his hand up against his forehead and lowered it across his face.

"I tried..." Her raspy voice cracked under the strain of her weakened vocal chords and sore throat. "I'm so weak and drowsy..." Diana drearily reached for her notepad, flipping back to her previous page. She pointed to her last written comment before smacking Darien across the back of the head with the pad. Muttering incoherent noises, she shot Darien an irritated look and pointed in the direction of Andrew's bedroom.

"Shit." Darien cursed over and over as he leapt to his feet, after realising his mistake, and ran over to Andrew's room. "Crap, crap, crap crap..." He chanted before knocking gently on Andrew's bedroom door. No response. Slowly, he turned the doorknob and let himself in.

"Sere?" He whispered into the dark room. This time though, the light from the moon filtered through the bedroom window and into the room, illuminating it just enough so Darien could see the lump lying under the covers of the bed.

"Don't come any closer." Serena's voice called out. "I-I'm sick." She sniffled and her voice squeaked. "I just want to sleep, please."

"What you saw in there. It wasn't meant to happen." Darien began to explain. "You see, I'm still a little drunk and-"

"I really don't care. What you do is your business. It's your life. I'm just sorry I walked in on you." Serena pulled the covers up over her head just as Darien approached and sat down on the bed beside her.

"Sere, it was a mistake. It didn't mean anything. I thought that she was-"

"Please, Darien. You don't have to justify yourself to me. You and Diana have history, I get it, but I'm really tired now so if you'd please just leave me alone, I really just want to get some sleep and get over this virus." Serena shuffled away under the sheets. "I have a migraine and the more you talk, the worse my head feels." Darien's stomach churned uneasily, but he knew that tone in Serena's voice. There was nothing more he could say or do tonight.

Walking around to the other side of the bed, Darien sat down on Andrew's executive desk chair and leant back. That was where he would sleep that night. After his terrible mistake, Darien felt as though he needed to be near Serena. Even though he couldn't explain to her what had happened, he just needed the comfort of being around her.

* * *

The feeling of a cold, wet towel being placed upon Serena's burning forehead was enough to shock the poor girl awake. Serena gasped as she bolted upright in bed. The cool towel slid down her face and plopped down onto her clammy hands.

"Sorry." Darien's voice penetrated the silence of the dark room, turning Serena's attention towards the dark form on the bed beside her. "You were burning up again."

"What time is it?" The groggy blonde rubbed her swollen, tired eyes, brushing away dried tears and the remnants of sleep.

"Quarter to five in the morning." Darien watched as the ill teen kicked the covers off of her warm body and flung her legs over the side of the bed. "What are you doing?"

"Going to get a glass of water." Serena struggled to stand on her shaky legs.

"I'll get it for you, stay in bed." Darien leapt to his feet, to Serena's protest.

"I'm fine." She frowned, pushing herself up off the bed, only to lose consciousness and collapse. Luckily, by that time, Darien was close enough to catch the limp young girl in his arms. He gingerly laid her back down in bed and placed the covers over her shivering body once again.

"Please get better Sere. I have so much I need to tell you." Darien sighed once more. As he sat tirelessly by her side in the twilight veiled room, he contemplated what he would say to Serena when she finally came around.

Considering he would be leaving in three weeks, would it be worth telling her of his feelings? Would he bother her with the news of his departure while she was still ill? Surely it would only increase her stress levels and delay her recover, right? Nevertheless, three weeks was a long time to keep a secret; the agony exacerbated by the fact that he would be keeping news of his departure from one very important person. Three weeks of secrecy would stretch to feel like an eternity when that one very important, special person lived merely across the hallway. Should he keep it from her? Could he?

Darien let out a long sigh as he leaned forward in the chair, running his hands across his face callously in frustration. In that instant, he had resolved to keep all details of his departure and plans to study abroad under wraps from Serena for as long as he possibly could. Sure, three weeks was a long time to be avoiding the inevitable conversation and to be hiding away from Serena, but it was nothing compared to how slowly time would pass if the conversation didn't pan out so well and he discovered that his feelings for Serena were not reciprocated. That would mean three torturously slow weeks of awkward dinner silences, bowed heads as they crossed each other in the hallway, pitiful looks of sympathy from Serena and numerous unnecessary apologies.

On the other hand though, if he confessed his feelings to Serena and she openly returned his affections, there was no way in the world that Darien would make his flight. He wouldn't leave her. There was no way that he could. Two years away from Serena, just as their relationship was about to blossom? It would be hell. Either way, it seemed as though the best thing to do was to let it go; to let _her _go. He wouldn't confess his feelings for her, nor would he tell her that he was leaving for fear that she would ask him to stay, or even worse, shed a tear as he left.

'_This is for the best.'_ Darien's mind betrayed his heart that screamed cowardly murder.

As dawn began to break over the horizon, Darien began to succumb to dribs and drabs of shut eye. He had long been sober, but the absurdity of the unfortunate events that had occurred earlier still weighed heavily in his mind, so much so that he couldn't sleep, rendering him mentally exhausted and cognitively drunk, swimming in a pool of self loathing and deep regret.

. . .

"Hey." Diana peeked her head into Andrew's bedroom the following morning. "Is she any better?" Her raspy voice strained as she quietly entered the room and stood by Darien's side.

"Doesn't look like it. In fact, I think she's getting worse." Darien refused to tear his eyes away from Serena's sleeping form. An awkward silence followed for the next few minutes as both Darien and Diana struggled to think of how to bring up the topic of the night before.

"So I guess you haven't told her yet then?" Diana rocked back and forth as she crossed her arms, seeming to protect herself from the uncomfortableness of the inevitable morning-after conversation.

"About what?" Darien's eyes glazed over slightly as they darkened a number of shades.

"What do you mean 'about what'?" Diana strained to keep her voice quiet through her evident annoyance. "About everything, Darien! About how you feel about her, about you leaving, about how you're in love with her..." Diana's voice began to trail away and she cleared her throat, desperately trying to stave off her sickness.

"No, I haven't told her." Darien rubbed his weary eyes and glanced over at the cold towel and wash bowl on the desk. His frustration and lack of proper sleep suddenly all crashed down on him all at once. "She's been asleep all night. Besides, she saw me kiss you. It's all a mess. Why were you in her bed last night?" His long fingers raked through his ebony hair in annoyance.

"We didn't want to infect each other and create another strain of super-flu." Diana's voice cracked and she frowned, clearing her throat. "It was Serena's idea to quarantine ourselves in separate rooms. How was I supposed to know that you'd come barging in, in the wee hours of the morning, drunk and looking for some lovin'?"

"I wasn't drunk." Darien frowned, "...Much. And besides, you should have stopped me."

"I was out of it from the meds, my ears were throbbing and I couldn't speak. I had no idea what was going on." Diana admitted with just as much frustration at the situation they were all in. "And another thing, what were you doing going all gropey gropey in the dark huh? You could have at least had the decency to tell Serena how you feel about her to her face."

"Well excuse me if I was only _just _intoxicated enough to have the courage to sneak into _Serena_'s room and up to _Serena_'s bed to try and confess to _Serena_ how I felt about her. How was I supposed to know that the sleepy girl in her bed wasn't her at all? Do you have any idea how hard it is to wake her up in the morning? I just thought she was being difficult again." Darien sighed once again.

"When are you going to tell her?" Diana crossed her arms. She watched as a slight frown graced Darien's brow. "You have to tell her how you feel." The violet eyed woman's weak voice cried out desperately. Doubt clouded over across Darien's features. His eyes glazed over once again in thought as he continued to stare at Serena's sleeping form. Diana slapped Darien's arm to gain his attention.

"I don't know if I can now." He confessed quietly. "Everything's changed now. I-I don't think I can do it anymore."

"You said it yourself, Dar. You stumbled into 'Rena's room, and over to her bed to kiss the woman that you thought was her. Surely she has to be able to see the mistake there. She has to know how you feel about her. You need to straighten everything out with her before you go." Diana watched as her best friend slumped back in his chair with exhaustion. Clearing her throat, she attempted to speak again before her squeaky voice gave out completely. "You have to at least tell her that you're leaving."

A small sigh escaped from Darien's lips. He was completely sober now, and for once in his life, he wished he wasn't. He wished he had the courage to face his predicament and set things straight, instead of running away from these new and unknown feelings and situations. More than anything though, he wished that he hadn't have been drunk the night before. He wished that he hadn't have kissed anybody, or at least, if he was going to be particularly inspired, he wished that he could have at least made his kiss count. But fate works in mysterious ways, and it seemed that it simply wasn't the right time or circumstance. Darien was never, ever fatalistic, but this time it looked as though this was a sign. He figured that maybe, just maybe, this was all for the best. It was probably better that she didn't know about how he felt about her. It was probably better that she didn't know that he was leaving. That way, he wouldn't have to deal with his emotions, and scarier still, her emotions and uncertainty. But most importantly, he wouldn't have to say goodbye.

"Maybe..." Darien sighed quietly as he stared at the ceiling. His mental state during the morning aftermath of his drunken night of misjudgements echoed that of countless others around the world and throughout the history of alcohol. As he closed his eyes; his heart filled with regret, uncertainty, and doubt.

"No '_maybes_' Darien. Just tell her. She has to know, and you have to be the one to let her know that you're going away for a while-"

"That's the thing Di, I'm not going away just for the weekend, or a week, or even a month. I'll be gone for two years. That's too long to have this looming over her head. I can't just drop that bombshell on her and fly off across the Pacific Ocean for two years and expect her to wait for me. I can't do that to her, Di, no matter how much I like her. That would be selfish of me."

"_Like _her?" Diana rolled her eyes, "Since when had we downgraded? Who said anything about just liking her, Darien?"

"You know what I mean." Darien raked his fingers through his hair for the umpteenth time. "I'll let her know that I'm going, but not right now. As soon as she gets better, I'll tell her then."

"I hope so, Dar." Diana eyed her best friend down suspiciously. "And I really wish you'd let Sailor Moon know that her saviour will disappear too." The violet eyed girl turned and left the room, leaving Darien to contemplate her words and figure out what he was going to do about Sailor Moon.

* * *

"Hey uh, I'm going to go get some medicine for Sere." Darien walked out into the living room as he finished towel drying his hair, fresh from his well needed shower. Tossing his towel lazily over the back of a kitchen chair, he ran his fingers through his damp hair, effectively brushing it into place. "Maybe I'll make her a pumpkin soup while I'm at it."

"I'll come along" Diana slowly rose to her feet as Darien reached for his car keys. "Staying inside is driving me insane, besides, I'm feeling much better after my nap and I need to pick up some more lozenges and cash in my antibiotic prescription."

"Alright then." Darien nodded quietly. Much to Diana's disappointment, things were now inevitably awkward between them. Darien refused to look her in the eyes whenever they spoke, and even though the misunderstanding was mostly his fault, she couldn't help but feel bad about her role in the whole fiasco.

As soon as the apartment door clicked shut behind the duo, Serena emerged from Andrew's bedroom, and tiptoed into the kitchen where she picked up the telephone. Her body ached and she yearned to be back in bed once more, but she needed to do this. Dialling a set of numbers she knew like the back of her hand, Serena leaned her body against the cool kitchen counter and listened to the tone.

"Moshi mo-"

"Rei, it's me, Serena." The blonde's voice trembled and her eyes watered as she couldn't help but recall the scene in the bedroom from the night before.

"Serena, what's the matter?" Rei immediately picked up on her friend's distress.

"Rei…" Serena clasped her hand over her mouth as she stifled a sob and tried to compose herself enough so she could talk.

"'Rena, are you crying?" The dark haired girl on the other end of the line began to panic. She had heard whiny Serena on countless occasions, but never a tearfully distressed Serena. "Is everything alright?"

"I saw…" The tearful blonde uncontrollably hiccupped a strangled sob. "I saw Darien kiss Diana last night-"

"I'm coming over. I'll be there in 10 minutes." Rei sighed as she dropped the telephone receiver back onto its cradle and leaped for the door.

. . .

An hour passed before Darien and Diana returned to the apartment, carrying bags of groceries and medicine to sooth Serena's burning fever.

"Sere…" Darien called out quietly as he entered Andrew's bedroom, holding a new batch of flu medication. A deep frown marred his features as he stared at the tousled sheets of the empty bed in confusion.

"What's the matter?" Diana stepped down the hallway, noticing the strange look on the tall man's face.

"Serena's not in Andrew's room." He looked about the apartment.

"Well, she's not in her bedroom…" Diana's voice trailed away as she noticed a note sitting on the dining table. Picking it up, she scanned the contents of the letter before reading it out loud.

"_I don't want things to get worse at home, with me spreading my germs around. I've gone to spend the week at Rei's. I'll come back when I'm feeling better. - Serena" _

Darien uttered a groan of disappointment and annoyance as he carelessly tossed the medication down on the kitchen counter and slammed his fist down beside it. She was avoiding him like the plague, and it was entirely fault. The worst part of it all, was knowing that there was nothing he could do or say to bring her back. He had to let her go for now.

* * *

. . .

*dodges tomatoes* okaaay, so that was the storm before the bigger storm before they get together. If you're getting annoyed with the back and forth of it all, then I would probably suggest that you hold off on reading the next few chapters, until about… chapter 38. Yes, it will really take that much longer until I script them together. Bad author! Yes yes. On the plus side, I have planned out the next 12 chapters and have started writing most of them. On the neg side, I'm coming up to exam week which means we'll all be incredibly lucky if I update in the next 3 weeks. I'll try for it, but with 3x2500 word essays due, I make no promises!

Also, if you wish to ask me any questions, please leave a signed review so I can get back to you. I've been pretty bad with responding to reviews lately, but I'll get back into the habit of replying, because I love you all so much for taking the time to review, and I love having chats with my readers! Any-who, let me know what you thought!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	29. Messy Relationships & An Indigo Gem

Looky Looky! I caught a new chapter! I'm back in the swing of writing, folks! It usually takes me a week or two to adjust from academic writing back to creative writing, but I pushed through for you guys… because I love you all. So if this chapter has a few awkward spots in regards to word choices, sentence structure or phrasing it's probably due to that… and I have the flu.. haha! But let me know either way and I'll try to fix it up =)

_**Thanks to:**_ Twiggirl006, lyss010387, Ash Devil Sadist, smfan4ever72, MarsCrystal42, kireisnowtenshi, Miss Moon Rose, Guest, championofjustice27, MissTexMex, Swtmelody637, TamoumatheStarWarrior, Kelly, Infinity 4 3ver, moon86, twilight0331, Lunachan90, Guest, MinnieMoosi, Blue-eyes, kbtjmandy, SerentiyMoonGodness, LoveInTheBattleField, Usako, Guest, natashasurgirl, Miss Katrina Malfoy, Sailor Rallison, Guest, Senshi at Heart _**and**_ trish1573 _**for reviewing the previous chapter ^_^**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 29 – Untangling Messy Relationships. Decisions & an Indigo Gem!

.

"_As many have discovered, it is entirely possible (although not particularly desirable) to love two people with all your heart. It is entirely possible to long for two lives, to feel that one life can't come close to containing it all."_

_[― Gabrielle Zevin]_

_._

One week; seven days; one hundred and sixty-eight hours; ten thousand and eighty minutes; six hundred and four thousand, eight hundred seconds, and one, two… That's how long it was before Darien heard a word from Serena. He had tried to call her on numerous occasions throughout the week. On the first night of her being away, Darien called the temple to make sure that she was, indeed, staying there.

"Yes, she's with me now." Rei reassured. "She was threatening to walk all the way over with her school bag and clothes, so I sent one of grandpa's trainees with me to fetch her. She's resting now."

"I see…" Darien relaxed slightly and sunk back into the sofa. "Thanks, Rei."

"Darien, tell me something," Rei interrupted, feeling that the conversation was coming to an end. "Did you really kiss Diana?" Her question was met with a moment of silence before Darien cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable about discussing the topic with one of Serena's closest friends.

It had annoyed him slightly that his indiscretions had circulated around like town gossip before he even had the chance to explain himself, not that he felt like he needed to; after all, was Serena not also sneaking around late at night to meet up with a certain caped vigilante? This whole situation was confusing to him. How was it that he could feel so bad for kissing another girl in front of Serena, but she was perfectly comfortable with potentially putting herself in danger by meeting up with a masked stranger night after night for a random make out session? Perhaps he had read her signals wrong. Perhaps she really didn't have feelings for him after all. Perhaps she really was going to Rei's to recover. It didn't matter anymore. He had made up his mind to let her go.

"It was an honest mistake." He began, trying to remain vague. "It was dark when I came home, and Diana was sleeping in Serena's bed." He cringed at that moment, not only realising just how bad that sentence sounded, but also that it was a blatant confession of his feelings for Serena. He wondered how the usually fiery tempered priestess would take his explanation.

"Okay." She stated simply, her voice gentle and calm. "That's what I thought." Darien was surprised that Rei seemed to be so reasonable about the situation. "I'll take good care of her."

. . .

The following night, Darien sent a text message to Serena's phone, asking her if she was feeling any better. The sweet gesture of concern went unreplied, but not unread.

. . .

Serena was still too ill for school on Monday, so she remained at the temple, resting. While Darien and Andrew both left early in the morning for classes and work, Diana snuck away to the Hikawa shrine to check up on Serena. It didn't sit well with her that Serena seemed to be mad at her for something that she didn't have an active part in.

"'Rena…" Diana peeked her head through the sliding door that Grandpa Hino had previously directed her to.

"Oh, hey…" Serena slowly sat up from her futon and rubbed her weary eyes. "What are you doing here, Di?"

The violet eyed brunette sat down on the straw mat next to the sleepy teen. Serena seemed completely unfazed and rather calm considering the circumstances. But what had Diana expected? Daggers? Yeah, ok, maybe something along the lines of that wouldn't have been completely unreasonable. "I came to check up on you-"

"I'll be well enough to go to school tomorrow." Serena informed quickly before realising that Diana was watching her strangely, as though she was trying to cautiously gauge her tone. "But that's not what you wanted to check on, was it? You wanted to know if we were ok or not."

"Wow… quick to the point." Diana's posture slouched slightly as she felt a wave of guilt overcome her all over again. Here came the daggers…

"We're okay, Di." A weary smile graced Serena's lips.

"Well, okay but… I've also come to tell you that I'll be moving out of the apartment in a few weeks." Diana's hands wrung together nervously and she felt almost as though she was running away from the whole situation. "I've finalised my plans and I've booked my tickets. I'm going to go on a working holiday in North America and Canada for a few months."

That piqued Serena's interest. "You're leaving?" She wriggled upright, her posture straightening. "But why? It's not because of what happened, is it?"

"Well, no." Diana hesitated briefly before quickly shaking her head. "As you know, I'm pretty much a nomad. I never really intended to stay this long, but I guess I kinda grew accustomed to the environment. It feels nice coming home to the apartment these days."

"What do you mean, these days?" Serena tilted her head slightly. "What's the difference?"

"You are." Diana smiled warmly. The tiniest glimmer of envy flashed before her eyes as she felt her heart sink slightly within her chest in disappointment. "You managed to do exactly what I've tried so hard to do for years while I was living there. You made the apartment into a home." Diana rocked backwards slightly as she spoke. "Without you there, it seems like things are reverting back to how they used to be. If Andrew isn't spending all his time working or studying, he's playing computer games. Darien's drowning himself under more and more lab work, and me… Whenever I'm home, I'm floating around aimlessly with no one to talk to. I go out so often to try and avoid the awkwardness. But when you're home, the whole apartment feels different… warmer."

"That's really kind of you to say-"

"I mean it, Rena." Diana interrupted. "You've only been gone for the weekend, but we all miss you. The apartment is back to being so quiet again." Her voice faded away in silent thought. "No one ever laughs anymore…"

"I'll be home tomorrow night." Serena reassured. "Although, I'm almost not really looking forward to it…"

"You mean, because of Darien?"

"I'm so mad at him." Serena sighed. "How can I face him now? It's like every time I see him my heart feels like… I just wish this would all blow over."

"I'm sure he feels the same way, 'Rena." Diana gently pushed Serena back onto the futon, noticing the blonde becoming more and more flustered. "Try not to think about it, and get some rest. I'll see you at home tomorrow."

* * *

"Serena, you're back!" Eric, Serena's classmate that sat behind her, greeted. "I heard from Mizuno-san that you had come down with the flu. I was worried about you."

"Oh, thank you, but you really didn't need to worry." Serena blushed slightly as she waved her hand in dismissal. "I'm as strong as an ox and I rarely get sick-"

"I know… that's why I was worried." Eric smiled slightly. "Hey, I was wondering…" His voice trailed away slightly as he paused to recompose himself and choose his following words carefully. "I was wondering if you weren't busy this weekend, if you'd like to go catch a movie and some lunch together."

"Uhh…" Serena blinked a number of times. "As in like a…"

"A date?" Eric filled in the rest of her sentence. "Yeah, I guess it could be considered a date… or not… I mean, it's up to you."

"Eric, that's really nice of you to ask but…" Serena had never previously considered dating anybody other than perhaps, Darien, before. It was a strange feeling knowing that someone else had feelings for her. "Can I think about it and get back to you?"

"Of course, Serena." Eric smiled happily, taking her consideration as a positive sign.

* * *

"Just remember to rehearse your lines for next week, Mika-chan" Rei instructed as she stepped out the gates of T*A Private Girls School.

"Rei." A voice called out to her, distracting her away from the presence of her friends.

"Darien?" Rei frowned slightly as she looked about, noticing the curious sideward glances that she had gained from her classmates. "What are you doing here?" She asked quietly.

"I was just passing by." Darien shrugged casually. "Did you need a lift back to the temple?" She paused in thought for a moment, looking around her once more, making sure she wasn't being watched. The last thing she needed, were rumours circulating about her and some strange, albeit handsome, man. She had a reputation to uphold. Once convinced that there was nobody else around, she nodded slowly, making her way around to the passenger side of the car.

"So…" Rei broke the silence as Darien reached for the gearstick, shifting it into first. "Why are you really here?"

"What do you mean? I told you, I-"

"Your university is on the other side of town. So is your apartment, and the arcade, so unless you're in need of some serious spiritual guidance, I don't see why you would be _just passing_ through the temple district of Mina-to."

"Busted." Darien chuckled slightly in embarrassment. "I see you're as sharp as always."

"You wanted to know about Serena?" Rei watched as his smile faltered at the sound of her name.

"She hasn't returned any of my calls or text messages." His expression was now serious as his brows knitted together in concern. "I know that she's coming back tonight, but I thought that-"

"You thought that if you showed up with me, she wouldn't be able to deny your offer to help her home." Rei interjected, understanding how he felt.

"Am I really that transparent?" A small smile tugged at the corner of Darien's lips as he kept his eyes firmly on the road ahead.

"I never used to think so, but when it comes to 'Rena… yes you are." A silent moment passed between the two as Darien contemplated the meaning behind her words. "You need to give her some space." Rei spoke up once again. "I don't know what's going on between you two, but it seems to be a lot more complicated than you simply not wanting to date her."

"I don't know how much space I can give her, considering we live in the same apartment." His voice conveyed a tone of jest, but his expression remained serious.

"I didn't mean space in the physical sense of the term." Rei clarified. "I can sense that something's holding you back, and she can too. She's confused, Darien. You keep telling her that you're not interested, but then you call her non-stop to check up on her when she's sick and away from home." The calm priestess couldn't help but fire up at the dark haired man beside her. The whole situation was absurdly frustrating, and she couldn't help herself from berating him. "You need to sort out your feelings and whatever is holding you back, before trying to figure out hers. You can't keep chasing after her if you're not going to do anything about it."

The rest of the car ride was spent in silent contemplation. She was right. It was one thing for him to constantly have these sorts of torn arguments in his head, but it was another thing to hear them from somebody else, and one of Serena's closest friends nonetheless. Eventually Darien slowed the car to a stop at the front of the Hikawa Shrine steps.

"You know, I'm kind of surprised she decided to hide out here." Darien eyed down the temple stairs.

"With me, you mean?" Rei corrected, gaining Darien's attention once again.

"Well," The dark haired man cleared his throat in embarrassment. How did she know that he wasn't actually referring to the temple? "It just seems like the two of you are constantly fighting, like cats and dogs."

"That's only because I love her like a sister." Rei picked up her book back that was lying at her feet, clutching it tightly to her chest as she spoke.

"So that's why you're always yelling at her." A broad grin spread across Darien's face.

"No, I yell at her because she's stubborn." Rei retorted, briefly expressing her annoyance in a humorous manner. "But that's a good thing, because if she just followed me around and did everything I told her to, then she wouldn't be her, she'd be like everybody else; boring." She bit her lip nervously, wondering if she could help him see the qualities in Serena that made her a wonderful person. "She's spirited. She has a backbone. She knows who she is and what she stands for, and she doesn't let anybody push her around." Rei expressed her admiration for her best friend. "After saying that, she never has her guard up, she's always willing to let people into her life. I guess that's what makes people like us, attracted to her."

Darien was silenced by Rei's insight. She was right, as always, but it was odd to finally understand her and Serena's relationship, and how it was very much like his relationship with the dumpling headed blonde. Rei was correct in assuming that she was very much like him. They were both normally calm and reserved with a general air of mystery and broodiness, but in the presence of Serena, both were fiery and passionate, and teased her relentlessly. But both he and Rei cared for Serena deeply. Perhaps the raven haired priestess was right. "I… I suppose I'll leave then." Darien leaned back in the driver's chair.

Rei nodded in approval. "Remember what I said; don't lead her on unless you plan on committing, Darien." And with that, Rei slipped out of the red convertible and made her way up the intimidating set of stone stairs at the shrine, listening as Darien put his car back into gear and drove away.

As she reached the base of the last set of stairs, the gut-wrenching gurgle of pain-filled shrieking flooded her ears and she dropped her bag to sprint, recognising that voice as her grandfathers.

"Grandpa!" Rei ascended to the top of the temple stairs only to see her beloved, timid grandfather turn into a flush, yellow eyed demon.

"Jiji!" The demon bolted toward the raven haired school girl with claws and razor sharp teeth bared. Zoisite watched on, letting out a slight chuckle as he grasped hold of the indigo coloured gem.

"No!" Rei side-stepped her grandpa-turned-demon monster and reached out, trying to stop Zoisite, but it was too late. He was gone; disappeared in a flurry of cherry blossom petals before anybody could threaten his newly acquired possession.

"Hang on, Rei!" Chad, one of Grandpa Hino's temple trainees rushed to her side just as Jiji bounded toward them, pouncing on Chad, tackling him to the ground. "Rei, get to safety!" Chad yelled as the monster scratched away viciously at his chest. Just at that moment, a red rose sliced through the air, skimming past Chad and embedding itself on one of Jiji's paws. The demon relinquished its hold on the civilian and turned his attention toward the caped hero standing among the tree tops. The distraction proved to be enough as a sliding door slipped open and an arm reached out to grab Rei, pulling her inside before shutting again.

"Seren-"

"Hurry up and transform." Sailor Moon whispered, sneaking a peak outside to ensure that Tuxedo Mask was sufficiently distracted before making an appearance. A gentle hand brushed across the blonde heroine's arm and Sailor Moon turned her attention toward Rei once more. Tears threatened to fall from her glistening lavender eyes.

"Sailor Moon, please help grandpa." Rei pleaded before thrusting her hand in to the air and shouting out her own transformation phrase.

Jiji was a difficult opponent to subdue simply because he was so agile and constantly moving. Sailor Moon found it difficult to target her attacks accordingly, as did Tuxedo Mask, who continued to bound across the shrine to evade the demons own attacks.

"Mars Fire-"

Once convinced that Jiji was now distracted enough by Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars, Tuxedo Mask ducked by the wounded and unconscious Chad. The temple trainee had sustained serious injuries as Jiji's attacks had pierced the skin of his chest and neck and he seemed to be bleeding quite heavily. Holding a hand above Chad's wounds, Tuxedo Mask focused his life force and energy, pooling it into his arms. A glimmer of light flittered from his gloved fingers and the masked man worked as quickly as he could to heal the brave civilian. In the distance, he could hear Sailor Mercury's voice call out to Sailor Mars and he knew that the rest of the Sailor Soldiers had arrived. That would have to do for now; he couldn't heal the man any further without arousing suspicion or being caught out.

"Akuryo Taisan!" Sailor Mars immobilised the demon using her paper charm for long enough for Sailor Moon to heal him back to his former self. Grandpa Hino collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, caught just in time by Sailor Mars, who breathed a sigh of relief. "He's going to be alright." She smiled wearily.

Tuxedo Mask grabbed hold of Sailor Moon's hand, just as she turned to leave, pulling her away from her fellow Soldiers quickly before they noticed she was in trouble. "You haven't been up to the rooftop for a few nights now…"

"You waited for me every night?" Sailor Moon frowned slightly, feeling a little embarrassed that she had forgotten about their late night escapades.

"Yes." Tuxedo Mask replied quietly with stern earnest. "Of course." The air around the temple shifted as the other Sailor Soldiers slowly became aware that their leader was otherwise distracted with the masked man. Sailor Moon glanced over his shoulder and noticed that all eyes were now upon them.

"We can't talk about this now." She whispered urgently "Meet me later tonight, the same place, same time as usual." He nodded, sensing the tension in the air, and leapt into the trees to make his escape.

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_I'm home again, but it's awkward, like I thought it would be. Darien was home when I came back. He mumbled something about going out to study before rushing past me. He hasn't been home since, not even for dinner. I'd like to be able to say that I'm a little worried, but I'm not. To be totally honest, I haven't been thinking about him at all this afternoon. I'm too busy worrying about what I'm going to say to Tuxedo Mask._

_These past few days, I've had a lot of time to seriously think about what it is that I want. Watching Darien kissing Diana was a truly painful experience, but it's also made me realise that this little love triangle between Tuxedo Mask, Darien and I has to end. I can't keep doing this. Darien's made it very clear to me on a number of occasions that he doesn't see me as a mature, attractive woman, let alone a romantic partner. To him, I'm just Andrew's baby cousin. Tuxedo Mask, on the other hand… well… that's a different story. And, of course, there's Eric, who asked me out on a date earlier today… I'm still so confused. I think I know what I'm going to do, but I just need to stick to my plan. Everything will work out fine. I just need to trust that I'm doing the right thing._

_Have faith… keep hope… be strong…_

_-Serena_

* * *

At 9pm sharp, Serena pushed through the fire escape door to the rooftop. Almost immediately, she spotted the silhouette of a tall, caped figure. His signature top hat gave him away. He was waiting, standing with his back toward her, only illuminated by the light of the moon. Serena cleared her throat to signal her presence. Tuxedo Mask slowly turned around. His lips curved into a gentle smile as he spotted the petite blonde girl.

"You wanted to talk?" He stepped forward, closing the gap between them for the briefest of moments before Serena stepped back in response.

"Tuxedo Mask, I have to be honest with you and I don't think I can tip-toe around the subject delicately anymore." Serena placed her hands up as if she were preparing to shield herself from any verbal backlash. "I don't think we should be doing this anymore."

"There's someone else…" His voice conveyed an understanding, like it was almost expected.

"No… well, I guess… I mean, I was asked on a date today-" Her statement seemed to catch him off guard, but Darien managed to conceal his emotions beneath his mask. "-but that has nothing to do with it." Serena added. "It's just that… it's all moving so fast, and it's not like I didn't enjoy it because, believe me, you're an incredible kisser and there's definitely a spark there but-"

"But?"

"But, I guess… my heart's just not in it." Serena confessed honestly, watching the man before her carefully, trying to gauge his reaction. "If there was one thing that I learned this week, it's that kisses are fleeting. They can convey a lot of emotion, but sometimes kisses can go astray. They can lie and be given to the wrong person. I thought that I would only ever give my kisses to someone who I loved… but it seems like none of my kisses have achieved that goal." He frowned slightly, as if slightly offended by her remark. "I'm sorry, Tuxedo Mask, it's not that I don't feel something for you, it's just that, I don't know who you are. You know so many secrets about me, but I know nothing about you. I mean, maybe if you would just-" Serena slowly reached her hand up towards the masked hero's face. Immediately, his hand caught hers, stopping her from removing his mask and revealing his identity.

"I'm sorry, Serena-" He began, noticing the fleeting pained expression of rejection in her eyes.

She smiled to mask her own hurt expression. "No, please don't apologise. It's not your fault." She shook her head briefly and attempted to recompose herself. "You have your reasons for keeping your identity a secret. It should be me apologising to you. I let myself get carried away with the excitement of this all, but in reality, my heart just wasn't in it." Her heart raced wildly in her chest as she began to second-guess herself once again. Hesitating for the briefest moment, she knew what she had to say. She had rehearsed it in her head a million times. Now all she had to do was open her mouth and- "I guess, in my mind, I was still wishing and pretending you were somebody else." Her voice cracked as she choked back her tears of guilt. It had sounded a lot stronger in her mind, but of course, she hadn't planned on breaking down as she delivered the line.

"Please don't cry, Serena." Tuxedo Mask reassured, brushing a gloved hand across her cheeks to brush her tears away. "not for me." His words struck a familiar chord, like she had heard them once before, and her mind brought her back to the night when Darien had firmly emphasised the fact that he was not in love with her and wanted to remain just friends, or if possible, even less. It made her heart ache remembering that, and she wondered when the conversation had turned from her ending their secret meetings, to him consoling her for once again, being unable to sustain an open and honest relationship with a man.

"I have to go." Serena backed away. "I'm sorry, but we won't be meeting like this anymore. I'm not in love with you, Tuxedo Mask. I really wanted to be, but it looks like somebody else already has my heart." She seemed as though she was in a hurry, but it was understandable considering the doubt that she so obviously felt. He watched as she fumbled with her key pendant as she spoke and wondered if it was some sort of subconscious sign.

"I hope he treats you well." came his simple reply.

"I hope so too." Serena whispered gently as she returned a weak smile and turned away.

Tuxedo Mask watched as Serena retreated back into the building. He let out a long, drawn out sigh and leaned against the apartment rooftop railing. "Is it me? Are you giving up Tuxedo Mask to be with Darien? Or has someone else managed to steal your heart from right under my nose?" The caped hero plucked his mask away from the bridge of his nose, observing it passively as he recalled her telling him that she had been asked on a date earlier. "Did I do the right thing by pushing you away? The princess in my dreams seems to be satisfied, but my heart and my head both tell me that I'm being a complete and utter fool for keeping my distance from you."

Sighing deeply, Tuxedo Mask detransformed back into his civilian form before slumping his body against a nearby brick wall in defeat. "Serena, what should I do? I've been searching for this princess almost all my life and now she stands between me and my happiness." He slammed his fist against the wall behind him in frustration, almost immediately regretting it as his hand ached and throbbed in pain. "Maybe when I finally find her, she will no longer dominate my thoughts and unconscious mind, and I can finally focus on my feelings for you. I hope you'll wait for me for a little while longer, but I know it's selfish for me to ask." Turning his attention to the stars and heavens above, he pleaded out loud for the whispered souls of the night to hear. "Please, Gods, if you're listening, whoever he is, don't let him steal Serena away from me." Darien had never been the type to pray ever before in his life, but things were starting to look bleak and desperate now, and he had no idea what to do. _Watashi wa itsumo anata o mamoru, Usako._"I'm not ready to let her go."

* * *

. . .

So I'm on holiday for a little over a month… that'll hopefully mean I'll get a chapter out each week. Fingers crossed. Next chapter will definitely be an interesting one… I've started writing it already. I'll try to rush it and get it out in the next few days if I can. We'll see how it goes.

What did you guys think about Tuxie's in-battle healing? Sort of describes what he does after making his grand entrance, while the girls are handling business. It makes sense in my head… but what do you guys reckon? Please R&R and let me know what you thought =)

_**Crystal Saturn**_

PS- _Natasha_- I'll email you back soon =). _Miss Kat_- I know I've been saying this for months now, but I'll send your box soon... like... seriously this time, haha!


	30. Serena's Date- Darien Comes Clean!

Ugh! My laptop died. So much of this chapter has been tediously written in Google Docs through a mobile phone keyboard. Forgive me if there are numerous errors and mistakes. I haven't been able to reply to reviews due to a lack of access to technological goodies, so I apologise for not answering any questions you may have. I'm trying to repair my netbook as we speak, but it's not looking good. Anyhow, hopefully I'll have decent computer access soon so I can reply to you all again and so it doesn't take 10 years for me to type up a chapter through my phone =P

_**Thanks to:**_ Lunachan90, MissTexMex, lostinshanghai, Flpirate305, CharmedSerenity3, charizardatemymathteacher, Guest, SailorMoon489, MinnieMoosi, Miss Moon Rose, Mill Qs, Sailor Rallison, sailormoon0630, trish1573, Infinity 4 3ver, Twiggirl006, SmTwilight, Miss Katrina Malfoy, LoveInTheBattleField, Usako, Guest, CrimsonBlood363, devilsangels11287 _**and**_natashasurgirl _**for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 30 – Serena's Date. Darien comes clean!

"To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves."  
_[-Federico García Lorca]_

Serena had been home for a week now, and while the mood of the apartment had significantly lifted, the air between Darien and Serena remained thick with an awkward, unshakable tension. Two weeks had passed since Darien's drunken mistake, and neither one of them had brought the topic up for discussion. Darien tried as hard as he could to avoid a confrontation by barely ever coming home. Instead, he threw himself in to preparation and research into the work that he would be conducting at Harvard. It wasn't hard for him to convince himself that this was for the best, and that the more of his literature review he completed now, the better.

Now he only had a week left before he would leave. All going well, he wouldn't ever have to talk about any of the mess he left behind for the next two years. There seemed to be little point for him to tell Serena that he was leaving now, since she seemed to show little interest in his activities of late. It became evidently clear to Darien that it his wishes had fallen on deaf ears. She was no longer interested in him. She hadn't severed her intimate ties with Tuxedo Mask in order to pursue him. There was somebody else.

On the other hand, while things between Diana and Serena were more than patched up, Diana couldn't help but feel as though she was stuck in the crossfire of icy avoidance between Serena and Darien. With Andrew away for most of the time, picking up as many extra shifts as possible to pay for his planned trip to Paris with Reika, the role of peace keeper and messenger was left almost solely in the hands of Diana. And if that wasn't stressful enough, the usually bubbly brunette was also harbouring the burden of Darien's secrets; secrets that she felt more and more compelled to spill.

"'Rena, I want to clear this up before I leave for America next week. I know we've already discussed this, but I just can't stress this enough." Diana nibbled on her bottom lip anxiously. "I hope you understand that there's absolutely nothing going on between Darien and I. I'm_ long_ over my crush, and he has never _ever_ thought about me in_ that_ way." Diana kneeled at the end of her bed and watched as Serena decided between two sets of earrings.

"I know." Serena smiled simply.

"No, I don't know if you do. Darien came home drunk that night-"

"It's OK, Diana. I get it. There's no need to explain." Serena lathered a thin layer of cherry gloss onto her lips. "It's totally over and we really don't need to talk about this anymore." Her tone seemed calm even though her words conveyed her annoyance and reluctance to bring the topic back up again.

"But he was looking for you." Diana added. It took every fibre of self-restraint within her being for her to stop herself from divulging everything. "He wanted to tell you something… important."

"Well," Serena let out a small sigh as she looked over her reflection in the mirror one last time. "He hasn't said anything since I got back from Rei's, so whatever he wanted to say, I guess it wasn't that important after all." Satisfied with her appearance, Serena leant down to pick up her purse.

"Are you going somewhere?" For the first time since the conversation started, Diana sat back on her heels and observed the petite blonde before her, realising that she seemed to be dressed to impress.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I'm going out tonight." Serena reached for her bedroom door. "I have a date."

"A what?" Diana leapt to her feet and followed the teenager out the room and down the hall.

"I won't be home for dinner tonight, Darien." Serena mentioned quietly as she passed him in the kitchen.

"'Rena, wait-" Diana's voice carried down the hallway.

"Okay," Came Darien's simple response. He stopped stirring his soup momentarily as he noticed the effort she had put into making herself look good, and good was an understatement. She looked different; older. No, not older, but perhaps more mature. She had a new look in her eyes; one that he had never noticed before. Her hair was pinned up and a dark pink shade of gloss was carefully slicked across her lips. One of the straps of her navy blue dress had slid off her shoulders as she slipped her mini-heels onto her feet.

"'Rena!" Diana called out once again as she reached the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Darien asked quietly just as Serena slipped out the front door.

"On a date. I won't be out too late." Serena promised as she shut the door behind her.

"Darien!" Diana nudged Darien's arm in annoyance. "What are you doing? Stop her!"

"Why?" Darien's gaze fell back to the stock pot in front of him. All the signals seemed to point to the fact that things just weren't meant to work out between him and Serena. The ill-fated kiss… Rei's advice… the dreams from the Moon Princess… his transfer to America; what else was he meant to do other than to let destiny run its course? "What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know," Diana gave a loud sigh of exasperation. "How about, grow up and just tell her how you feel. You know she feels the same way about you, why can't you just tell her?"

"Di!" Darien's voice thundered louder than either one of them had expected, echoing through the whole apartment. "I've told you already." His jaw clenched as he turned around to face his best friend, struggling to keep his emotions in check. "I can't have these feelings for Serena. It's not right. It would be too hard and too complicated, what with our alter-egos and me going away. I leave next week; it would be impossible to try to make it work, and it wouldn't be fair to ask her to wait for me..." He knew that it sounded like a huge cop out, like he was trying to find every excuse in the book... and in many ways, he was. "I just... can't. Besides, I'm obviously not the one she left Tuxedo Mask for."

Diana clenched her fists in frustration, raising one of them and motioning her desire to punch the defeated man across his arm. He turned his gaze, almost waiting for his punishment, but it never came. "For someone who has a scholarship to Harvard and spends his nights fighting evil, you're an incredibly stupid and cowardice man, Darien Chiba." She simply reprimanded before turning away and storming off to her room.

. . .

As Serena reached the lobby level of her apartment block, she dug her hand into her purse to pull out her ringing cell phone.

"Hey Lita," She greeted, walking over the fourth fern ornament by the left wall of the lobby. Reaching around, she pulled out her school book bag and slung it over her right shoulder. "I know I'm late for our study session, I'm sorry. Tell Rei I'll be there in ten minutes." Serena sighed, hanging up the phone. Throwing a coat over her dress, she changed her shoes, hiding her heels in her book bag before running to meet Rei and the others at Hikawa Shrine.

* * *

Serena held her heels in one hand and her book bag in the other, with her purse tucked away under her arm. After stepping out of the elevator, she tiptoed down the corridor to apartment number 119 and inserted her key. Turning the door ever so slowly, Serena poked her head into the apartment. Once satisfied that no one was around to spot her, she slipped into the room and dropped her book bag at the door.

"Getting in a little late, don't you think?" Darien's voice called out from the living room. "It's almost 11. What would Andrew say?"

Serena's posture stiffened slightly at the sound of his voice. "We... got carried away and lost track of time." She stepped into the apartment, straightening out her dress with her now clammy hands. She was too busy trying to look calm and collected that she failed to notice the way Darien clenched his jaw tightly and cross his arms at her response.

"Did he at least walk you home?" His voice carried a strangely dominating tone to it. It seemed rather peculiar coming from him, and Serena found it rather odd that at that moment, for some reason, she suddenly thought of Tuxedo Mask.

"That's none of your business, Darien." Serena dramatically turned around and stomped into the kitchen, hoping to hold his attention as she tugged her New Year's Resolution list down from the fridge. She made a scene of crossing off resolution #5: _Go on my first romantic date with a cute guy._

This seemed to pique his interest and his eyes narrowed slightly. "What's his name? Does he go to your school? Where did you go on your _romantic_ date?" Darien questioned, noticing Serena crossing one of the resolutions off of her list.

"Why do you even want to know?" Serena opened the fridge door, searching for a late night snack. She missed out on having dinner at home, so had to settle for junky snacks at Rei's. This left her feeling rather unsatisfied and quite peckish, but in addition to the interrogation she was receiving from her housemate, her stomach felt as though it was tying itself in knots and she was starting to feel a little nauseous.

"I'm just concerned-"

"Well, don't be." Serena snapped suddenly, desperately trying to find an escape from the anxiety inducing conversation. "I can_ protect_ myself. I don't have to tell you about any of the things that I do in my private life, and I'm not going to! So if you don't mind, I'm going to get ready for bed now." She retorted before strutting down the hall and into her room.

The bedroom door swung open and Diana watched as Serena slammed it back shut behind her. "You tell him, girl friend!" Diana turned over in bed as Serena sighed loudly, slumping her body back against the door. "So tell me, was he a good kisser? Was the date romantic? Was there any dancing? Where did he take you?"

"Can you keep a secret?" Serena slowly crawled over towards Diana, lying down on her mattress, hoping that her defeated body language conveyed the extent of the misery that she was feeling.

"Heck no!" Diana grinned, swiftly sitting up in bed. "but tell me anyway."

"I didn't go on a date. I lied to try to make Darien feel bad." Serena whispered in a low tone. "I had a study session with the girls instead."

Diana burst into roaring laughter which caught the attention of Darien, who could hear the mirth and merriment from the living room. He was feeling strangely overcome by feelings of irrational jealousy and anger. "Good for you, 'Rena!" Diana wolf whistled and hollered loud enough for Darien to hear, before lowering her voice to a more hushed tone as she smiled. "That should get his interest piqued. It serves him right for not stepping up to the plate sooner. Let him stew in his own jealous juices for a while." Diana winked, watching a smile begin to form on Serena's lips as she began to relax.

"I thought you were his best friend." Serena tilted her head to the side, watching Diana curiously.

"Second best friend. Andrew's his BFF. But still, as his second best friend, I still know what he's like." Diana shook her head signifying her disapproval. "Darien's the most stubborn man I have ever met. He just doesn't back down, even when he's wrong. That, and it's like he's almost _too_ rational. Sometimes I just wish he would listen to the advice that others give to him, instead of always trying to sort things out himself. I keep telling him that he needs to follow his heart more often, but he insists that his head has never led him astray." Diana sighed in exasperation as Serena listened intently. It was nice having somebody else to talk to about him. There was a sense of comfort in knowing that she wasn't the only one who felt frustrated by Darien's behaviours and actions at times.

"What happened between you two," Serena's hands began to fidget, unsure if she should have brought up the topic. "A long time ago…? You said he broke your heart."

"Nothing actually happened between us." Diana gave a genuinely warm smile, indicating that it was all very much in the past. "When I was a young and naïve teenager who didn't even know the meaning of love, I told him that I liked him, but he told me that I was his best friend, and a really great girl, but not the princess that he was searching for. I wasn't the girl of his dreams… or something like that."

"Wow, that must have really hurt you." Serena felt her heart sink within her chest. It didn't take a huge stretch of her imagination to be able to put herself in Diana's shoes.

"Yeah, Darien has always been incredibly blunt when it comes to affairs of the heart, or at least, he used to be."

"Alright, that's it!" Darien burst through the door at that moment. It was evident that the scene between him and Serena that night had frayed his ability to think objectively and rationality, reducing him to a jealous, suspicious, insecure mess. "I heard my name! I have the right to know what's being said about me!"

"Darien Chiba!" Diana rose to her feet, instantly projecting an authoritative manner. She stomped over toward the tall man, reaching up to twist his ear and pull him down to her eye level. "Have you been listening at the door this whole time?"

"No..." Darien hesitated for a moment, wincing in pain. "Well..."

"Darien!" Diana warned with a glare, tugging on his ear.

"I was just passing by to go to my room and I heard my name..." Darien winced once again, rubbing his ear as soon as Diana released it. "But I can see that I was mistaken... I'm going to go now." Darien's cheeks flushed pink, like a child caught stealing candy.

"You're not going anywhere, mister!" Diana yanked Darien's arm, dragging him back into the room. She sat him down on Serena's bed before turning her attention back to the blonde teen and casually continued with her story as though that farce of a scene had not just occurred. "So anyway, after Darien rejected me and ripped my poor innocent, beating heart out of my-"

"Do I _really_ need to be here for this?" Darien interjected, his cheeks flushed as his friend continued to gossip about him with such dramatic conviction as though he wasn't there.

"Yes, now shush." Diana waved her hand dismissively before continuing once again. "After Darien rejected me, I vowed that I would never love another man ever again, and when Andrew first met me in high school, I was half way through one of my longest female relationships, and so I became known to Andrew as 'The lesbian'. I'm pretty sure that to this day, Andrew is convinced that I'm still a lesbian."

"Oh, I see... Drew's probably just teasing you." Serena reassured as she struggled to find something to say in response. It now felt strangely awkward, being in the same room as Darien.

"Probably. Not that I mind." Diana waved her hand about in an indifferent manner. "Sooooo, Darien..." a mischievous gleam returned to Diana's eyes. "Dazza..." She began to continuously poke his cheek playfully, trying to illicit some sort of annoyed response. "Dar... D-man... D-Dawg..."

"Whaaaat?" The usually highly irritable dark haired student couldn't help but give a small smile at his friend's contagious enthusiasm. Anybody else and it would have been completely intolerable.

"Did you ever end up finding your princess?" Diana winked and briefly looked over at Serena, who seemed to be staring straight at the man sitting on her bed beside her.

"Yes- and, well… no." Darien raked his fingers through his dark hair, trying to keep his cool. "It's complicated. I thought I found someone, but things came up and I don't think anything will ever come from it. She's not interested in me."

"That's a pity." Diana gave a small sympathetic frown. "But that's OK, I'm sure if you persevere and wait long enough, eventually you'll win over her heart. In the meantime, you can practice your kissing skills with Serena… right, 'Rena?" Diana was merely fishing for some sort of reaction, but little did she know that her playful comment would give her a reaction far greater than she baited for.

"What?" The spacey blonde teen suddenly felt a surge of blood rise up to her cheeks as she lowered her gaze and nibbled on her bottom lip nervously. "Kissing? I- No we never- I mean… we-" Serena finally decided that it would probably just be best to remain quiet. A bright red hue stained Darien's cheeks as he shook his head and also lowered his gaze.

"Oh my God!" Diana bolted upright as she deciphered the couple's body language. She knew that Serena had been sneaking away at night to meet up with Tuxedo Mask, but the blonde teen still didn't know that Darien was, in fact, the man behind the mask. "Have you two kissed each other?" It took the observant woman two seconds of watching silent awkwardness to interpret a conclusion. "Oh my goodness, I can't believe I didn't pick up on this before!" She laughed whole heartedly. "I can't believe you never told me, Darien! When did it happen? How did it happen? Does Andrew know?"

"Of course I know." Andrew leant up against the doorway with his arms crossed. His statement caused both Serena and Darien's faces to grow solemn and pale. "I'm kidding. Just thought I'd let you all know that I just got home. So, what don't I know about?"

"Nothing." Darien responded quickly as Serena breathed a small smile of relief and Diana fell backwards on to her bed in hysterical laughter.

"It was the New Years punch, right?" Diana propped herself up on an elbow between fits of laughter. "Everyone gets randy after some New Years Eve punch." The room fell eerily silent, until Diana broke out into some more laughter.

"Wait, what do you mean by '_randy_'?" Andrew eyed the couple suspiciously.

"It was just a kiss, Andy. It was my fault. I was trying to pretend to be Darien-idiot's girlfriend to scare off some other girl." Serena explained. "It was only once."

"Twice, actually... well... officially...?" Darien began to admit. He wasn't sure why, but being under pressure always made him honest. "Once last New Year's, once this New Year's... and then... well..." Serena looked up at him with a confused expression on her face. She strained to try to remember that night, ready to correct Darien. Surely he was mistaken. She recalled flashes of light, fireworks. She remembered the anxiety that came from hanging off the edge of the building. She recalled Tuxedo Mask saving her and...

"Wow, I've suddenly gotten a craving for waffles and ice cream, don't you, Andy?" Diana jumped to her feet, knowing that there were clearly some unresolved issues between the couple. She hurried towards Andrew, linked arms with him and scuttled out of the room.

Darien rose to his feet to follow suit, but was stopped dead in his tracks as Serena reached out and grabbed his left arm. Letting her hand slide down his forearm, her fingers gently touched against his hand and she raised it closer to her face for a better look. The small scars from grazes, cuts and abrasions remained visible. The image of Darien's bandaged hand the day after flashed within Serena's mind. The fireworks, the way he lifted her lips to his, it was all starting to become painfully clear now.

"That kiss… on the rooftop. That was _you_." Serena traced her fingers across the scars on the palm of his hand before looking up at Darien. "Oh my God, You're Tu-"

"Shh..." Darien raised a finger to Serena's lips, interrupting her revelation. For some reason, he didn't want to hear her say it. He didn't want her to call him by that name.

"And that means... every other kiss since then..." Serena's heart thumped wildly in her chest. "It's been you all along! Why did you kiss me?" She had yearned to hear him say those little words. She wanted to know that he had felt the same way as she did for the past year. "You must have known who I was, right?" As she looked up at him, he glanced away, nodding slowly and staring only at the wall in front of him. This wasn't going to end well. He knew she would have many questions, ones that he had no idea how to answer. This was exactly the complication to their relationship that Darien was trying to avoid. "Tuxedo Mask knew... How long have you known my identity for?"

"About a year now. When I..." Darien stopped to correct himself. "When Tuxedo Mask gave Sailor Moon the Star locket. I realised she was you when I saw you with the locket the next day."

"You knew all this time and you didn't tell me?" Serena slowly stepped up to the tall man before her, subconsciously closing the distance between them.

"It would have been too risky and put us both in danger if you knew that it was really me saving you. Sailor Moon needed to trust Tuxedo Mask completely."

"Why did you kiss me?" Serena repeated as she stepped into his line of vision, hoping he would look her in the eyes and give her an honest response.

Darien recalled the fact that Serena had been on a date with another man earlier that night, and it made him seethe with jealousy, but he could never let her know how much that hurt him. His pride simply wouldn't let him. "It's not because I like you, Dumpling Head." Darien turned away once again. "If that's the answer you were waiting for, then I'm sorry but you're going to be sorely disappointed. None of those kisses meant anything to me."

"Then why? If you knew I was Sailor Moon, and if you didn't have feelings for me, then why did you ask to meet me night after night and kiss me... like you did?"

A vision of the Moon Princess dressed in a crimson stained white dress appeared in Darien's mind and he clutched at his aching head momentarily. "I was using you." The skull-splitting pain made it easier for him to lie to her. "I only did it to gain your trust, in hopes that you would give your rainbow crystal to me." Another vision flashed in his mind's eye and he stifled a painful groan. "About that second New Year's kiss we had? Look, I saved you from dying." A strange expression washed over Darien's features for a moment. Serena could have sworn that it almost looked like guilt. "I saved you like I always do. That's all that needs to be said about _that_ night. That's all that needs to be said about us." Darien added quietly as he turned to walk out of the room. "Your boyfriend can thank me later." He quipped before closing the door behind him, leaving an incredibly bewildered and somewhat dejected Serena, sitting on her bed, staring at the space where his hand was, with so many more questions whizzing around in her mind.

Serena took a moment to recompose herself and gather up her thoughts. It took her half a second before her heart sank within her chest. Her temper flared and she found herself yanking her bedroom door open forcefully.

"Hey!" She yelled at Darien as she stood at the doorway to his bedroom. "You don't get to walk away like that!" Her chest heaved as her heart pounded heavily. "_You_ used _me_. That doesn't give you the right to have the last word. That doesn't afford you the right to just walk away from our conversation and be all broody like you always do."

"What more is there to talk about?" Darien ran his fingers through his jet black hair as he sighed in frustration.

"No, you don't get a say anymore." Serena's fingers curled up into fists. "For months, you led me on. You knew I was Sailor Moon and you manipulated every single situation to try to get close to me."

"No I didn't-" He couldn't help but defend himself even though his initial objective was to try to create as much distance between them. He _wanted _her to hate him. It would have made everything easier, but at the same time, there was still that part of him that died a little knowing that she was hurting because of him. "Not every single one-"

"You asked to meet me on the rooftop of this apartment, with the plan to seduce me." Angry was an understatement. Serena was so furious that the only indication of an impending implosion was the slight quiver in her voice and the glistening tears in her eyes. It was the calm before the storm. "I gave you my first kiss, but you stole the others. You manipulated my feelings and you made me fall-" Promptly shutting her mouth at that moment, she refused to say any more.

"I'm sorry." Another glimpse of guilt flickered in Darien's expression. But there was something else... another emotion that lingered in his eyes. Sadness? Hurt? In an instant, he impulsively stepped forward as though he desperately needed to be closer to her. Like decreasing the distance between them would somehow help her understand. In that same beat, Serena stepped back without hesitation.

"I can't trust you. I don't even know who you are anymore." She rubbed her eyes, hoping to catch her tears before they fell. There was no way she was about to give him the satisfaction of watching her cry.

"Serena!" Darien raised his voice slightly as he tried to gain the infuriated blonde's attention. "Listen to me..."

"Why should I?!"

"Because I never lied to you." Darien slowly stepped toward her again. He couldn't explain it… the impulse and drive that he felt towards her at that very moment. Seeing her so upset; all he wanted to do was hold her, to try to make the pain go away and to make her understand. "As I am now... I never lied to you. As Tuxedo Mask, I deceived you, but I only did so because I need the rainbow crystals. I need them to find the Princess. She's the key to me finding out who I am."

"That doesn't excuse your behaviour towards me." Her eyes stalked his every movement with suspicion, primed to leap at the first sign of trouble. He was strangely calm, like he was walking into a lion's den.

"No, it doesn't, and you have every right to be mad at me... but I just hope that it helps you understand my motivation behind it all." He continued to inch towards her cautiously until he stood directly before her. "I never meant to hurt you. I really do care about you..." His voice died away as he watched her turn her gaze away. She couldn't even look at him anymore. "You don't believe me..."

Serena nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment, seemingly trying to keep herself composed and calm. "That's not how you treat someone you care about."

This time it was Serena's turn to leave, shutting the door to end the conversation. As she struggled to hold back her tears, she headed down the hall and into the living area, where she noticed Andrew and Diana, sitting by the kitchen counter, digging into a tub of ice cream and averting their gazes as though they hadn't just heard every word of the very loud confrontation. The blonde teen let out a deep sigh as she unlocked the glass sliding door and let herself out onto the balcony for some fresh air and much needed mind clearing.

"You know..." Diana quietly stood by the doorway to the balcony. "For what it's worth, I think the only lie Darien ever told you was when he said that he only kissed you to get your rainbow crystal." She handed Serena a small bowl of ice cream. "I think he lied when he said that those kisses didn't mean a thing."

"For what it's worth, I think you're right." Serena gratefully accepted the bowl with a weary smile. "But I guess that's what hurts the most."

* * *

It was three in the morning when Darien found Serena sound asleep on the balcony, leaning beside the glass sliding door. Grabbing the throw blanket from the back of the sofa, he slipped outside and gently covered her body to keep her from getting too cold. In a heartbeat, her hand slipped out from under the covers and reached for his arm.

"Tell me about your dream girl." Serena's sleepy voice cracked as though she hadn't used it in so long.

Not only was Darien startled by the fact that Serena was awake and talking to him, it also alarmed him that she seemed to be quite calm about everything too. He waited for a few more moments to pass, making sure that she was indeed lucid and not still dreaming, before returning a response. "Pardon me?"

"The princess." Serena blinked a few times, looking up at Darien. "You've dreamt about her ever since you were a little boy. Tell me more about her."

"I can't tell you much." Satisfied that Serena was awake and no longer seething, Darien took a seat on the balcony floor beside her. "The dreams are mostly vivid, but the memories of them are always vague. I can never see her face, but her hair glistens a pale silver, like spun threads of shimmering starlight." He explained, hoping that he was making sense. "A golden crescent seems to glimmer faintly somewhere upon her porcelain skinned face. Maybe on her forehead? I'm not too sure what it is. A birthmark? A scar? A gemstone from a tiara? She only ever wears a white dress in my dreams."

"Gold crescent symbol?" Serena mused, hastily rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. "She sounds like she could be the Moon Princess that we've been searching for."

"I no longer doubt that. If the rainbow crystals are the key to finding the Silver Crystal and the Moon Princess, then I know that the woman in my dreams is her." Darien admitted. It was a strange feeling for him, to finally be able to discuss this all with somebody. At the same time, he almost felt that it was a taboo subject, and any discussion of the princess would result in her, and any truth behind his identity, disappearing from his grasp.

"But why does she come to you? I'm the leader of the Sailor Solders!" Serena frowned, feeling a little dejected. Was it because she wasn't good enough to be the leader? Was she not strong enough, or smart enough? Was she not trustworthy?

"I wish I knew, Sere." Darien sighed, leaning his head back against the glass door. Serena turned her head to observe the man beside her. It almost seemed as though he had given up on asking why, and was had simply surrendered all desire to understand his situation. "Sometimes she cries, and I can feel her sadness as if it were my own." Vivid flashes in his minds eye momentarily distracted Darien from his explanation. Whirls of light and imagery flooded his head like pulses of a long lost memory, fighting desperately to claw their way back to the forefront of his mind. The sound of laughter. Music in the air. The ground trembling. His heart racing. A torn white dress. The colour red. Silence. "Nevertheless, even though she's anxious, I'm always happy to see her. My heart always seems to race when I'm in her presence. Recently she's been asking me to bring her the rainbow crystals, in exchange for clarity over my past and my identity.

Serena couldn't help but notice the melancholy tone in Darien's voice as he spoke. He seemed a little uneasy talking about himself, but she was curious, so she couldn't help but pry a little further. "Your past and identity?"

"Sailor Moon and the rest of the Sailor Soldiers are guardians of the Moon Princess. So who am I then?" She watched as he doubted himself. An internal battle waged war within him and his personal conflict suddenly became so evident, reflected in his eyes. "Why do I sometimes dream that I'm holding a sword, in battle? Why does she come to me? Who am I? Where do I belong?"

"Well, you fight alongside us, against the Dark Kingdom." Serena's meek voice rang through the cool spring air. All she wanted to do at that moment was to comfort him and console him, but she wasn't sure how. "So that makes you good."

"I wish it did, Sere." With the flick of a wrist, a single red rose appeared within Darien's fingers. He twirled it absentmindedly, lost within his own thoughts.

"What do you mean?"

"From what I can tell, I've been able to transform in to Tuxedo Mask, long before you've been Sailor Moon. I don't have much recollection of that time, but I remember a few moments vividly." Plucking the petals from the rose, he continued his explanation. "Before you made your way on to the scene, I used to transform without even knowing it. Night after night, I'd break into jewellery stores in search of the Silver Crystal. More than once, I almost killed the security guards and law enforcement that stood in my way."

"That doesn't make you bad." Serena immediately jumped to his defence. "You had no control-"

"Exactly, Sere. If I did these sorts of things _without _conscious awareness, then 'bad' is exactly what that makes me." She couldn't argue with him. In her heart, she knew that he was wrong, and that he was a good person, but the look in his eyes said it all. "I don't deserve to be with anybody as pure or as innocent… or as beautiful as…" His voice trailed away slightly as he turned his attention toward Serena. Watching her look up at him, it was evident that she still believed that he was good. His heart fluttered ever so slightly knowing that she still believed in him, but his gentle smile was still melancholy. "…As the princess."

Serena swallowed the lump in her throat. He was completely devoted to his princess. Her heart ached as she listened to him talk only about her; and of himself as though he was less than worthy. If only he could feel this way about her, she would never make him feel inadequate. Crawling over toward him, she wrapped her arms about his shoulders to comfort him. "You're a good person, Dar." She pulled away slightly to look him in the eyes. "I'm sure your princess will see that too." He smiled at her briefly, holding her eye contact as she stared up at him earnestly. He unconsciously licked his lips, drawing her attention to them briefly, feeling their magnetic pull. She turned her gaze toward his eyes once more and noticed they were firmly fixed upon her lips as he slowly moved in closer. Tilting her head back slightly, she angled herself to receive his kiss. Just at that moment, Andrew's bedroom door creaked open and Serena leaped to her feet as a nervous response. Darien also pulled away, leaning his back against the wall again as he cleared his throat.

"I-I'm still mad at you." Serena hesitated briefly before wrapping the throw blanket around herself tightly and stalking back inside.

"I know." A tiny hint of frustration seeped into Darien's tone as he sighed and stared up at the stars above. "And I still don't know what to do…"

* * *

. . .

My thumbs hurt. I really don't recommend typing out 6200 words on a phone =P But I was desperate to get this chapter out. Let me know what you thought! I'll endeavour to get the next chapter out soon… It's a good one with even more revelations! W00t w00t! I'll see you all soon =)

PS- Thanks _Miss Moon Rose_, for being awesome!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	31. Tension, Confusion, Heartaches, Closure?

Still posting from my phone… thankfully (and somewhat luckily) I wrote this chapter and the next about a year ago. I've spent the past few days editing it but it's a pretty big document. Once again, forgive any errors. A few of you have asked me questions in reviews and I've had a difficult time replying to them through my phone, so I've managed to answer a few on my blog: (crystalsaturn. weebly. com) Anywho- thank you so so so much for your patience and your wonderful reviews.

_**Thanks to: **_Sammy, Stellar-Prime, MissTexMex, Guest, CharmedSerenity3, lyss010387, trish1573, Anne, MinnieMoosi, SmTwilight, Usako, PerfectBeauty, kbtjmandy, sailormoon0630, NZBunny, SeleneJadeHope, KittyKat, Miss Moon Rose, smfan4ever72, natashasurgirl (any updates or story chapters, hmmm missy? email me ^_^), LoveInTheBattleField, Guest, devilsangels11287, Godschildtweety, tiffany aka basketcase, moon86 _**and**_ Belle of Ponderosa _**for reviewing the previous chapter**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 31 - Tension, Confusion, Heartaches, Closure(?)

.

"If we must part forever, Give me but one kind word to think upon, And please myself with, while my heart's breaking."  
_[- Thomas Otway]_

_._

The following week of interactions between Serena and Darien were awkward to say the least. The interactions between Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask were even worse.

"What were you thinking, throwing yourself in front of Mercury like that?! You're her leader, not her meat shield!" Tuxedo Mask berated loudly as he dropped onto the balcony from the rooftop and de-transformed before stepping into the apartment.

"What else was I supposed to do? Leave her to be toasted alive? I'm sorry, but where were you again? Up a tree, was it? Standing on a lamp post and counting roses? Waiting for the last possible dire moment before making your move?" Sailor Moon bellowed back, screeching loudly as she too dropped onto the balcony, following closely behind Tuxedo Mask. He shielded his eyes as she waved a hand over her brooch and de-transformed in a flurry of nude and pink coloured ribbons. As she returned to her civilian form, Serena continued her yelling match. "You're much faster than I am in battle, you could have easily saved her."

"There are five of you, Sere. I can't be expected to protect you all at the same time." Darien stood his ground as Serena leaned forward in agitation, yelling straight at him.

"Then protect _me_! You said that it was your duty, right? _Then do it!_" She growled in frustration.

"_I would have_, but I had no idea you were _that_ stupid enough to throw yourself in front of a giant fireball in the first place!" His voice snarled in a dangerously low tone as he too leaned forward in argument. Before either one of them had even knew what they were doing, they found themselves face to face, their noses merely an inch away from each other. It took Serena a moment to realise just how close he was to her. His eyes pierced into hers, with cold blue flames dancing amongst them. Involuntarily, she licked her lips, which gained his attention, throwing him off his game for a second.

"You're insufferable, Chiba." Serena muttered as she turned to leave. Darien reached out and grabbed her arm quickly. She winced out in pain and tried to pull herself away. He wouldn't let go. Turning around, she met his gaze again. It had softened considerably in the few seconds from when she was in his face, to when she had turned to leave.

"Let me take a look at your burns."

"I'm fine." Serena pouted stubbornly. He ignored her dismissal and took her hand, pulling her into his bedroom as he searched for the first aid kit. Living with a woman for the past year had made him open his eyes to quite a number of things. One of those things was that the word 'fine' never really actually meant 'fine' when it came from a woman's lips.

"You're going to have to take your shirt off." Darien reached around at the back of his wardrobe and pulled out a little red box.

"I- what?!" Serena winced as she crossed her arms. "I don't think so, pervert."

"Don't be such a child. You're hurt, and besides, it's not like I haven't seen you naked before. Do you honestly think that just because magic sparkles hide your nipples during your transformation, no one can see that you're otherwise naked? Not only that, but I do recall this one incident when you were in the bathtub..." He reasoned out loud but in the end, he was wrong. As Serena frowned, realising she couldn't win against him, she lifted her top over her head to shut him up and timidly tossed it onto his bed, sitting down beside it. _A _w_hite lace bra._ Oh, he was _so_ wrong. Darien quickly averted his gaze once more, rummaging through the first aid box for disinfectant and burn cream. _'Oh God, white lace?' _A million less-than-innocent thoughts raced through his mind._ 'When the hell did she get that? What happened to pink and white polka dots? We were safe with polka dots, but lace?!'_

"You seem to be taking a while." Serena folded her arms across her chest. A red hue stained her cheeks as she spoke. Sure, she wanted to gain his attention, but not like this. This was embarrassing. Darien gave a slight muffled groan at as she crossed her arms. She was doing this on purpose. She had to be. She had to have known that crossing her arms like that pressed her breasts together, giving him an eyeful of ample, tantalising cleavage. "Is everything alright?" Serena's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Sure. It's all fine. It's just, your burns are worse than I thought." Darien struggled to put his professional face on as he turned to face the well-toned, semi-nude teen in front of him, sitting on his bed. His eyes quickly roamed across her left side. The fireball had hit her from her waist up, but luckily, her Sailor Fuku seemed to have taken most of the damage. "Lie down, on your side." He instructed calmly and was thankful when she obeyed without saying anything in return. Darien swiped an antibacterial soaked cotton ball across Serena's waist. She shuddered and reeled back almost immediately

"It's cold!" She whined. Even the light burns she had received on her waist and hip were super sensitive. The skin there was pink, as if she was sunburned. "A little warning would be nice."

"Sorry." Darien murmured before continuing his act of disinfecting her wounds, up her side, across her shoulder and along her neck. She had cringed, holding back tears as he swabbed along her shoulder. It was starting to blister, and Darien knew that applying the burn cream would prove to be a difficult task.

"This is going to sting a little more than the disinfectant." Darien warned as he squeezed a small amount of cream on to his fingers. He waited for Serena to nod her head and acknowledge his warning before proceeding. With long, slow, gentle strokes, Darien began to apply the cream to Serena's waist. He knew the cream itself probably wouldn't do much to speed up the healing process, but maybe if he focused his energy enough, he could help heal her. She shuddered slightly. It slowly began to tingle, before a slight stinging sensation spread across her side. Even though her wound was starting to hurt, there was something about his touch that made her feel good. "This is probably going to hurt quite a bit, you may want to sit up for this." Darien sat down on the bed beside Serena as she sat up slowly and angled her shoulder towards him.

Clenching her jaw shut tightly, she braced herself for the stinging cool pain as Darien gently daubed burn cream on this blistered skin of her shoulder. It was worse than she could have ever imagined. Serena's breaths became short, sharp and ragged as she inhaled and exhaled through her nose.

"I'm sorry." Darien glanced over at the pained expression on Serena's face. It was evident that she was holding back tears as she shook her head, signalling for Darien to continue. "Breathe, Sere." He whispered gently before moving his fingers upwards to the less burned area of Serena's neck. With his free hand, Darien caught the single tear that fell from Serena's clenched eyelids. He brushed it away gently before it could fall any further. "You know, you shouldn't just expect that I'll come and save you every time. There might come a day where I won't make it there in time, and you need to be prepared."

Her eyes fluttered open and met his briefly before he looked away once more, continuing his task of applying a thin layer of burn cream across her neck. As his fingers danced along her collarbone, her eyes involuntarily shut as she shuddered slightly and shifted ever so slightly closer against his touch. Without even thinking, Darien found himself slowly being drawn in by his young damsel. The way the light reflected across her cheeks and along her jaw. It was somewhat intoxicating, and it wasn't long before Darien found himself absentmindedly running his fingers along Serena's neckline and over the unblemished skin of her jaw.

Maybe it was the way she tilted her head away from him, luring him with the gentle innocence of the soft flesh of her neck. He couldn't help himself. She moved against him in an ever enticing way. Under lowered eyelids, Darien ever so gently grazed his thumb across Serena's bottom lip. With her eyes still shut, she let a gentle, encouraging groan escape her lips. It was at this point that Darien knew he had relinquished all higher order through processes and control over the situation. Leaning in slowly, something told him that he needed to be closer. He needed to feel those lips of hers again. Serena languidly opened her eyes just enough to see shadowy glimpses of Darien's lips, slowly approaching, lingering tantalisingly closer and closer.

"Hey guys, are you home yet?" Andrew's voice bellowed through the apartment from the front door. The loud clatter of his keys clinkering against the glass key bowl startled the two and Darien rose, almost immediately, to his feet.

"Yeah, we're in here, Drew." Darien called from his room, turning away from the semi-nude teenager as she quickly, and somewhat painfully, wriggled into her singlet top.

"What are you guys doing in here? And why hasn't dinner been started?" Andrew peeked in from the hallway to find Serena sitting on Darien's bed, her top was inside-out, and Darien, half way across the room, looking somewhat flustered and embarrassed. "Do I need to impose bedroom territory bans and open door rules now?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Nothing like that is happening." Darien rolled his eyes, nodding toward the first aid kit sitting on his bed. "We were called into battle. Dumpling here threw herself into the path of a giant fireball like a moth to a flame."

"You what?" Andrew rushed over to her side, noticing the first aid kit sitting on Darien's study table. Serena pointed sheepishly to her still-burning shoulder. Andrew winced at the redness and severity of the burn.

"I didn't throw myself, idiot." Serena growled defensively at the dark haired man, who had ignored her comment and opted to instead, to open his balcony door, stepping out for some well needed fresh air. "I was trying to protect Sailor Mercury." Serena turned to explain the situation to Andrew.

"Either way, it was stupid. Uncharacteristically brave, but stupid." Darien called out from the balcony.

"And where were you, Tuxie?" Andrew retorted in Serena's defence.

"I was preparing to save her butt, but I didn't think she was going to go all kamikaze and throw herself at the enemy's attack." Darien stated simply, turning to look at his friend from his spot out on the small ledge.

"I don't feel so well." Serena mumbled, distracting the two men from the sarcastic argument that was about to erupt.

"You're body was in shock for a while. Your immune system is probably working in over time to try to heal your burns. Anybody else, and they'd be at the hospital. Luckily for you, your burns seem to be healing quickly. You need to eat and get some sleep." Darien stated, rather coolly, strolling back into his bedroom. "It's too late to start dinner now. I'll go down and get some take away. In the meantime," He pressed his hand against her forehead in an attempt to roughly gauge her temperature. "If she starts heating up any more, you'll need to get a cold towel." He instructed to Andrew and gently pushed Serena back onto the bed. "You should try to get some rest. It's the best way to avoid feeling the pain from your burns."

Serena nodded slowly and obeyed Darien's gestures and instructions. As the tall dark haired man grabbed his coat and walked out of the apartment in search of food, Andrew placed the back of his hand against Serena's forehead, noting that the flush of her cheeks indicated exactly what his hand was telling him. She was beginning to run a fever. As Andrew left to find a face cloth, Serena kicked Darien's covers, wriggling beneath his sheets in search of comfort.

"You know, he blames himself for you getting hurt." Andrew returned with a wet towel compress and applied it gently to Serena's forehead.

"What? How do you know?" Serena murmured, squirming as the cold towel sent a momentary jolt of discomfort down her spine. "He doesn't seem overly wracked with guilt."

"He's my best friend. I've lived with him for years now." Andrew sat by his younger cousin. "I'm sure you've also come to notice the subtle difference between Darien being an ass, and Darien pretending to be an ass to hide the fact that he actually cares."

"It's still a little hazy some times." Serena nodded and shrugged at the same time, causing the wet towel to slide down the side of her face. Andrew reached for it and placed it back on her forehead gingerly.

"He's secretive and quite the introvert, but he's far more of an open book than he cares to think, once you know what to look for." Andrew leant back on the bed and stretched his legs out in front of him. "But he's not just oblivious to his own feelings, he's pretty much oblivious to anybody else's feelings towards him too."

"What are you trying to say, Andy?"

"Just that, Darien's pretty clueless, especially when it comes to women. If there was a girl that liked him, and she tried to hint of her affections towards him, hoping that he would make the first move, then I would bet that she would be sorely disappointed." He waited to see if Serena was following his line of thought before he continued. "He would probably break her heart. Not intentionally, but it would be inevitable."

"I hope you're not implying that I have feelings for Darien, Andy." Serena sat up abruptly in bed, sending the cold towel compress flying across the bed once again. Andrew reached for the small face cloth and urged Serena back into bed.

"No, not at all." Andrew shook his head vigorously, playing along with Serena's charade. "I'm just saying that on the unlikely event that... _some girl..._ may one day _possibly_ develop feelings for Darien, then she should just be honest and tell him."

"What? But that could be embarrassing for the girl." Serena lay back and looked up at the ceiling.

"It would only be embarrassing if he didn't feel the same way back, 'Rena." Andrew stood up and began to walk towards the door to leave the blonde teenager to rest. "In which case, I wouldn't be talking to her about this then, would I?" He smiled gently before shutting the door quietly behind him, leaving Serena to dazedly contemplate the meaning behind her cousin's cryptic words.

* * *

"Dumpling, hey Dumpling." Darien sat down on the bed beside Serena. He nudged her arm gently, careful not to disturb her wound. "Wake up."

"Yuck. I don't wanna." Serena grumbled, rousing from her sleep.

"I have dinner, if you want any."

"Well, I am pretty hungry now that you mention it." Serena swiftly sat up, looking about for her dinner. Darien brought over a bed table of noodle soup and placed it over Serena's lap. She eagerly reached for the bowl, bringing it closer to her.

"How are you feeling?" Darien placed his hand over Serena's forehead, checking her temperature as she greedily slurped on her noodles.

"A little better, pretty sore though. I'm tired, and my arm is killing me." Serena lifted the noodle bowl up to her lips, taking a long slurp of soup.

"I'll put some more of that burn cream on you once you're done with dinner, but it seems to be healing pretty quickly regardless. It looks like it should fix itself right up by tomorrow night."

"That fast? I would have thought it'd take at least a month. That's some cream of yours!" Serena glanced down at her arm briefly before resuming her dinner. "What... what are you doing?" She watched as Darien made his way to the other side of the bed and plopped himself onto it, lying back next to her. "Andrew's going to kill you if he sees this."

"It's _my_ bed, dumpling." Darien casually kicked his slippers off and relaxed, trying to find his bed groove.

"But I'm using it right now. You can't sleep in the same bed as me." Serena placed her empty bowl on the bedside table closest to her and moved the bed table onto the floor. She reached for the burn cream and poked Darien in the arm with the tube.

"Why not?" Darien sat up in bed, taking the cream and gently applying it to the flustered teen's left side. Thankfully she was too embarrassed to turn to face him. A warm glow emitted from Darien's fingers as he brushed them across Serena's wounds. The raw redness of the burn subsided and the blistering began to disappear.

"Because it's dishonourable" Serena frowned at how lame her reason sounded, considering she lived in the same apartment as two men. "Because I sleep naked." Serena blurted out quickly to try and dissuade Darien. He barely even blinked at her statement, too busy concentrating on healing the injured girl.

"That's alright, I do too, for the most part." He dabbed the burn cream along the affected areas of Serena's skin, trying to stay focused on his task without becoming carried away like he had almost done previously. "Do you sleep naked with Diana in the room?" He changed the focus of the conversation away from himself. "Maybe her lesbianism has rubbed off on you. And here Andrew was worried about _ME_ corrupting your innocent soul."

"No!" Serena bashfully protested. "You... you can't sleep in the same bed as me because... well, because it'd be weird." Serena huffed in frustration as Darien finished smoothing over the thin layer of cream on Serena's neck. He smirked cheekily as he stood up from the bed and collected Serena's dinner bowl and portable table.

"I was just kidding." He glanced back at Serena with that infamous mischievous glint in his eyes. "I'll take Gandalf and we'll sleep in _your_ bed tonight. Who knows, we may even just find some juicy in-bed reading material under your pillow tonight." He smirked once again, catching a brief glimpse of Serena's reaction before he shut his bedroom door behind him.

"Darieeeeen!" Her screeching voice called out from the other side of the door.

* * *

Tuxedo Mask watched carefully from his position behind a nearby tree. He followed her every move anxiously as Sailor Moon dodged each attack, waiting to see if she would need his help. Something was different about her tonight. She was less sure footed and seemingly distracted. Every now and then she would turn her head, seeming to look around for something. Just as he predicted, it was this lack of concentration that got her in trouble.

"Sailor Moon! Watch out!" Venus yelled as Sailor Moon stepped straight into a trap, triggering a series of thorned vines to appear around her legs, hoisting her up in the air as she dangled helplessly by her ankles.

"Damn it, Dumpling Head." Tuxedo Mask cursed under his breath, leaping into action. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled half a dozen roses to sever the vines that trapped Sailor Moon, and launched himself into the air, ready to catch her as she fell.

"Tuxedo Mask..." Sailor Moon breathed a soft sigh as he let her down and reminded her of the battle that was still ensuing. Sure, she knew that he was Darien, but there was just something about Tuxedo Mask that still took her breath away. "Right... of course." Sailor Moon turned her focus back onto the monster. "Moon tiara..."

. . .

"Thanks for saving me." Sailor Moon smiled gratefully, her golden tiara returning to its rightful place upon her head.

"What was with you tonight? You were so distracted that you walked straight into that trap." Tuxedo Mask took a break from his usually calm, composed demeanour to berate the clumsy warrior of the Moon.

"Me? Well if you saw that, then why didn't you save me earlier?" The usually bashful, swooning heroine pouted, stomping a red heeled boot onto the ground for extra emphasis. It was clear to the other Sailor Soldiers that the two obviously had some unresolved issues that they needed to work out.

"Uh, Sailor Moon..." Sailor Mercury piped up. "It seems like you two are busy..."

"Should we stay and try to break it up?" Sailor Mars scratched her head, watching the two verbally duke it out before them. It seemed strange that their dynamic had suddenly changed, almost like they were continuing some sort of unresolved argument. "I mean, Sailor Moon is out leader and all, and it _is_ our duty to protect her."

"It looks more like a lovers spat to me… maybe we should just leave them to sort it out." Venus slowly backed away. "Besides," The blonde haired heroine wrapped her love-me chain around her waist as she watched the fiery exchange between her leader and Tuxedo Mask. "She seems more than capable of handling the situation at the moment."

"I feel a little sorry for Tuxedo Mask." Mercury nodded her head in agreement.

"Uh, Sailor Moon… We're just going to go now..." Sailor Jupiter added as she and the other Sailor Soldiers slowly backed away, making their stealthy exits, disappearing into the night.

"It's not my job to baby sit you and watch your every move. How could you _not _see that trap?" Tuxedo Mask interrupted Sailor Moons rage rant, taking a step toward the direction of the apartment.

"I can't see everything you know." Sailor Moon was too involved in the argument to realise that her back-up had fled. She followed Tuxedo Mask as he began to leap through the night sky on his way back home. "You could have warned me or stopped me from walking into it. You're the one who always shows up too late. Why don't you make yourself more useful by being a little more proactive."

"Do I look like one of your little lackeys, running around in a ridiculously tiny sailor-fuku and high heels? No! My only mission is to find those seven Rainbow Crystals. If I wasn't worried about Andrew having to plan your funeral then I wouldn't bother." The super powered heroes continued their rather loud argument across half the rooftops of Tokyo city, before finally arriving at their own apartment building.

"Ridiculous? You want to talk about ridiculous? Have you seen yourself in the mirror, Tuxedo Mask? You're the one with the stupid costume. Who fights battles in full formalwear, tuxedo, top hat and all? What are you, an escort for hire? Always prepared to take any high school girl to her end of year dance? And that cape, who are you trying to convince there?" Sailor Moon stumbled slightly as she landed on the apartment rooftop.

"Will you watch where you're going?" Tuxedo Mask unclenched his fist as he watched Sailor Moon trip. "You know, for someone criticising my outfit, you don't seem to be too concerned when it's shielding you from getting your ass flamed." Tuxedo Mask motioned for Sailor Moon to give him her hand as he pulled her body closer to his and leapt down from the rooftop to their apartment balcony.

"And another thing," Sailor Moon poked Tuxedo Masks chest with a gloved finger for emphasis. "Why do you always show up on top of light posts and window sills? If you're going to wear the cape and act all super-hero-ish then why can't you just make a normal entrance, like a _normal_ super hero? You know; fly in, scoop me up and fly out. What are you trying to do; win the gold medal for gymnastics?" Tuxedo Mask simply waited for the short skirted heroine to end her rage rant, but unfortunately for him, the end seemed to be nowhere in sight. "-And where do those roses of yours keep coming fr-" Tuxedo Mask cleared his throat loudly.

"Are you quite done yet, Miss Moon? We're home." Tuxedo Mask lowered his head to look the blonde heroine in the eye. It was only then that she realised just how close they were. One of his strong arms was still wrapped around her waist, holding her firmly against his body while both her hands rested on his chest. She could faintly see his dark blue eyes staring closely at her through his mask, and she felt as though her knees had weakened all of a sudden, almost ready to buckle. Sailor Moon held his gaze for a moment longer as she shook her head slowly.

"No I'm not..." Sailor Moon paused, suddenly becoming aware that she was slowly leaning in closer to her masked hero. "Why... why do you always wait for me to fall before catching me?" Serena's eyes slowly, involuntarily fluttered shut as she could feel his heart beating rhythmically in his chest, like a song that only she could hear. The light breeze had died down enough that she could feel the shallow breath that escaped as he opened his lips ever so slightly. She leaned in further and found that her lips began to tingle delightfully as they barely brushed up against Tuxedo Masks. He pulled away just enough so that their noses were still touching. Sailor Moon opened her eyes, to find Tuxedo Mask staring at her, a look of yearning and desire evident in his expression for a split second, before he steeled himself, still staring deep into her eyes.

"What would your boyfriend say?" They were so close that she could feel the breath of his words dance along her lips, but in an instant, Sailor Moon had managed to wriggle herself out of Tuxedo Mask's grasp. A groan of frustration escaped her lips as she de-transformed in a flurry of crimson ribbons while stepping back into the apartment, heading straight for her room.

Darien stepped out of the shadow of the night and into the apartment living room area, where he let out a long, drawn out sigh. The light balcony curtains whipped about him as the wind changed direction and picked up strength.

"You're an idiot, Darien." Diana rolled her eyes as she remained slouched on the sofa, flicking though the channels on the television.

"I know." Darien groaned at the realisation that they had an audience. "I'm the biggest idiot on the face of the Earth."

"I don't think I've ever met anyone who has made accidentally sabotaging the most perfect, romantic moment so quick or easy. And she was practically throwing herself at you, Dar."

"I knoooooow." Darien grumbled in annoyance, pulling a soda out of the fridge. "It seems to be what I do best. Need a foot in the mouth? Want the mood completely ruined? Dial-a-Darien!"

* * *

"So," Diana slipped into Serena's bedroom, casually hurling herself onto her mattress on the floor. "What's it like knowing that Darien's actually Cape Boy?"

"It's... weird." Serena sighed, staring up at the ceiling as she hugged her pillow. "It changes everything."

"How so?" Diana rolled over onto her side as she happily gossiped with her roommate.

"I don't know, it's hard to explain." A stifled groan of frustration escaped from her lips as Serena smothered her pillow over her face momentarily. Flinging her pillow aside once more, she calmed her nerves and continued to stare up at the ceiling. "I think I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that they're the same person."

"Well, from what I gather, you seem to be quite fond of Darien, and you mentioned on a number of occasions that you harboured affections for Tuxedo Mask... now that you know they're the same person, doesn't that simplify things?" Mediator Diana tried the oversimplification method to gain a little more insight into Serena's thoughts.

"No, it makes it more complicated." The blonde teen slowly sat up in bed. "They say you should always keep your work life and your personal life separate. I know why now." She felt restless. In all honesty, it should have been that simple. She did have a crush on Tuxedo Mask for the longest time, and she also liked Darien too. But now that she knew that the two were one and the same, something just didn't feel right. She didn't know how to act. There were still too many unresolved questions swirling around in her mind. "I just feel so... conflicted. What do you think I should do?"

"Well, from what I can see, it doesn't look good." Diana decided that she would approach the conversation from a different angle. "I mean, maybe I came into the picture at a bad time, but for the most part, all I've ever seen you two do is argue and avoid each other like the plague."

"I guess you're right. There has been quite a bit of that lately." Serena mused and Diana pressed on, feeling as though she was finally making progress.

"I don't know how you can supposedly like someone when you're always fighting with them..."

"It wasn't always like this." Serena frowned, remembering the many times that they had both been amicable. "Darien and I were starting to get really close." A small smile graced her lips at the thought of them dancing at Keiko and Takato's wedding reception.

"What changed?" Diana asked. Serena's smile faded away as she recalled the look on his face just before he left that night, and the conversation that they had later on.

"He told me he didn't want to complicate things between us, so I told him that I had no feelings, and would never have feelings for him. I pushed him away." Serena shrugged bitterly. "Eventually, we started getting closer again, but then I found out that he had known my secret identity all this time. He also told me that he'd never have feelings for me." She shook her head in order to try and prevent herself from getting too emotional. "It's too hard, Diana. I'm giving up. If it was meant to be then it wouldn't be this hard."

Just at that moment, a light knock at the door disrupted their conversation. Darien peeked his head through the door.

"Sere, can we talk please?" The gentleness of his voice echoed the exhaustion that she felt.

Serena's eyes shifted momentarily from Darien, to Diana, then back to Darien once more. She nodded her head slowly and Diana rose to her feet. A small smile played on her lips as she winked at Serena and made a scene of crossing her fingers. As Diana headed for the bedroom door, she slowed her pace slightly and whispered quietly into Darien's ear.

"As your friend, I'm obliged to tell you that 'Rena never had a boyfriend. She was trying to make you jealous." The violet eyed woman lightly patted Darien on the shoulder as a sign of encouragement before walking out of the room and shutting the door behind her.

When Diana left the living room earlier, Darien had indulged in two servings of chocolate mousse and a tiramisu, and was actively pacing back and forth across the living room, evidently trying to sort out his thoughts. She was happy that he had finally reasoned to himself that the best thing to do at that particular point in time was to talk things through.

"I want to apologise and set some things straight." Darien began, still standing near the door. He watched as Serena nodded slightly and waited for him to continue. A moment passed and Darien began to pace back and forth across the doorway once more, evidently trying to figure out how to approach the subject currently on his brain. Eventually, he decided it would probably just be best to be blunt. "Do you like me?"

A whole minute of silence passed as Serena tried to read Darien's expression and body language. "What do you mean?" She asked, not wanting to embarrass herself by responding too honestly to the vague question.

"Do you have feelings for me?" Darien clarified. All traces of smugness and sarcasm were gone from his tone and demeanour. He was serious.

"N-no." A cherry coloured glow spread across Serena's cheeks as she broke eye contact, preferring to stare down at her fidgeting fingers. "Of c-course n-"

"Serena, I can't play these games anymore and you won't look me in the eyes, so I can't tell whether you're telling the truth or not." Darien ran his fingers through his dark hair in slight frustration. "Sailor Moon has always had feelings for Tuxedo Mask, and he's always been there to protect her. There was a time that you were very close and intimate with him. Now that you know I'm Tuxedo Mask, this changes things between us. I need you to be honest with me now." He pleaded, almost desperately. "Do you have feelings for me?"

"Yes." Serena's heart pounded in her chest and her cheeks flushed a bright crimson. All of a sudden, she felt as though her whole world was on fire. Was this what it was like to be in love? Serena felt her heart racing faster and faster until she felt as though it was going to burst. Why wasn't he saying anything? The silence was killing her. "Do you-" She hesitated, "I mean, it's probably a silly question but..." Her breath caught at the back of her throat just as she was about to ask him. She wanted to know, once and for all, how he felt about her, but a part of her was already preparing herself for a response that she didn't want to hear. "Do you have feelings for me?" Her voice was shaky with nervousness and uncertainty.

Another moment of silence passed.

"I do." Darien nodded slowly. "I'm very much attracted to you, Sere, but I don't think I should be." He watched as Serena's smile faltered slightly. "As Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon, we're both after the same objective, to find the Silver Crystal and the Moon Princess, but that in itself presents a problem. If we were allies, then why doesn't Luna trust me?" He added. "I don't think we were meant to meet like this. I don't think you were ever meant to move in with me. It just created a living dynamic where you and I-" His voice trailed away before he could divulge any further details of how he felt. Instead, he opted to go the rational route. "In my dreams, the Princess calls me by another name. I feel close to her, like we were once intimate. I think she's the one I'm supposed to be with..."

Serena nodded, accepting his words even though their underlying meaning cut through her like ice. "Who am I to stand in the way of destiny?" Unshed tears threatened to fall from her cerulean eyes. "My mission is to keep the Princess safe. I am the leader of the Sailor Soldiers, and have sworn to fight for right and justice, and to protect the wielder of the Legendary Silver Crystal."

"I think we're both just attracted to each other because we were both once very close to her." Darien rationalised. "And we're now very close to each other. It's only natural for us to be drawn to each other when we have the same objective- to find the Moon Princess."

"That... that makes sense." Serena nodded, pretending to understand, even though it made no sense to her why she felt so strongly for Darien. "I've been wanting to know why I've felt like this... that makes a lot of sense." It was a lie, but what more could she do?

"Does it?" Diana leant against the door. "I think the two of you are being ridiculous." She stalked in, grabbing hold of Darien's hand and Serena's, placing them both against each others. "If you feel something, then it's for a reason. If you're both attracted to each other, it's for a reason. And it's not the one that you keep trying to justify to yourself, Dar. You're both finally admitting what everyone else has been seeing for a year now. You're both madly in love with one another. You want to talk destiny? Then listen to your hearts, not your heads. I'm sure the princess will understand."

"It compromises the mission." Serena bowed her head, pulling her hand away.

"Why do you both have to be so stubborn?" Diana threw her arms into the air with exasperation. "I have never seen any other couple look more right for each other than you two. Just quit your sad, pathetic star-crossed lovers act and get together already. Dar, you were the one who always told me to take hold of my own destiny, because it was mine and no one else's. Now I'm telling you the same thing."

"Di, it's a little more complicated than that." Darien noticed how his friend's words were affecting Serena. He thought he was doing the right thing by being straightforward and justifying his thoughts and actions, but with Diana spouting everything that they both already knew and felt, it just made things harder. So much harder. "Do you think you could give us a moment, Di?" Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she nodded silently.

Darien walked the fiery tempered woman out the room, ensuring the door was firmly shut behind her this time. As he turned around, he saw Serena slowly lower her head, raising her hands up to her eyes, she quietly cried into the palms of her hands. His heart broke at the sight. Rushing over, he wrapped his arms around the petite blonde and held her close to his body.

"I'm sorry, Sere..." He whispered gently. "I wish it didn't have to be like this."

She shook her head, furiously wiping the tears away from her eyes. "It's okay. Thank you for being honest with me. I thought it was just me that felt this way, and it was driving me crazy." She forced her tears back even though her heart ached in her chest. "I know it's what we must do. We have no other choice but to put our feelings aside, for our mission, and for the greater good." She put on a brave face, trying her hardest to stay strong. "It just wasn't meant to be."

"You'll find the one you're destined to be with." Darien gently pressed his lips against the top of her head in a gentle, comforting kiss, before pulling away reluctantly. "He'll be the luckiest man on Earth."

Serena sniffled, unshed tears still glistening in her sky blue eyes. Her voice trembled as she spoke, "I just wish he could have been you."

* * *

. . .

I know I'm horrible for ending the chapter there. The next chapter will be a sweet one, I promise. Chapter 32 is also almost complete, so I should be able to post that up within the next week. So… more and more secrets are being revealed now, but there's still one very big one that Darien's keeping from Serena… and time's running out! Please review and let me know what you thought ^_^ I'll see you all in a few days with the next chapter.

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	32. Boundaries & A Change of Heart

Here's the next chapter in the rollercoaster ride that is this story!

_**Thanks to: **_jessicanicoleharp. Miss Katrina Malfoy, DragonLadyRelena, Sweet-Angel of Love, CharmedSerenity3, Polevault Princess, Miss Moon Rose, Guest, MinnieMoosi, Perfect Beauty, SeleneJadeHope, Aya Falkner, BuffyandDracoLover, Bunny16, Flpirate305, LoveInTheBattleField, moonie, Twiggirl006, Mill Qs, SmTwilight, kbtjmandy, trish1573, Lunarstar99, Guest, devilsangels11287, SerentiyMoonGodness, Lady Airly, amethysth, Sailor Rallison, KittyKat, moonie, SailorMoon489, Guest _**and**_ natashasurgirl _**for reviewing the previous chapter**_

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 32 – Boundaries & A Change of Heart

"Those who are faithful know only the trivial side of love; it is the faithless who know love's tragedies."  
_[-Oscar Wilde]_

_._

"So what happened last night?" Diana queried as she walked into the lounge room, interrupting Darien's study.

He pushed his reading glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose, glancing up momentarily from his stack of journal articles. "What do you mean?"

"You and Serena were in her room for an awfully long time after you kicked me out." The brunette plopped herself down on the couch, turning her body to face Darien as she spoke. He refused to give her the satisfaction of turning her interrogation in to a proper conversation; flicking through a couple pages of his text book before turning his attention back to the pile of papers.

"Nothing happened." He shrugged. "We talked about boundaries and where we stand."

"Booooring." Diana scrunched up her nose, picking up a cushion and throwing it at Darien's head. "Did you kiss and make up?"

"No." Darien casually deflected the cushion with his hand.

"But you have feelings for her?" Diana picked up another cushion, causing Darien to wince briefly as he watched her from the corner of his eye.

"Yes." He stated bluntly.

"…But you also have feelings for the Moon Princess-"

"I guess so." Darien sighed, realising that he wouldn't get any more study done tonight. Still, he continued to pretend as though he was busy in order to try to get Diana off his back. It didn't work.

"Who do you like more?" The bubbly brunette pressed on.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, if the Moon Princess and Serena had like… a massive MMA fight, or a rap battle, or a fencing duel over your affections, surely you'd be cheering for one over the other, right?"

"I don't know… I guess… maybe." Rubbing his temples slowly, Darien removed his glasses. He held Diana's eye contact for a moment before turning his gaze back to his textbooks, clearly trying to signal that he was otherwise preoccupied and would rather not continue her topic of conversation.

"So who do you like more? Who would you choose?" Diana ignored Darien's hints.

The dark haired man gave a small groan of annoyance before taking in a deep breath and leaning back in his chair. "If I _could_ choose, I'd choose Serena. If there was a way to stop myself from having dreams of the princess, I would do it in a heartbeat, Di. I wish more than anything that I could somehow change my destiny to be with her. In this life, I'm in love with Ser-"

"Hey guys." At that moment, the apartment door swung open and a petite teen with shoulder-length blonde hair danced in, dropping her book bag at the door.

"'Rena? Is that you?" Diana tilted her head to the side, curiously watching the girl.

"Oh, yeah… I-"

"What did you do to your hair?!" Darien immediately rose to his feet, his voice conveying a concerned sense of urgency. "Your buns are gone! Why did you cut your hair?"

"So you can't call me _Dumpling Head_ anymore" Serena poked her tongue out as she paced toward the kitchen, filling up her water bottle and raiding the refrigerator in a hurry.

"No, but-"

"Is that why you call her Dumpling Head?" Diana interrupted Darien's protests. "Because you think her hair looks like dumplings?"

"Well yes, but-"

"Darien, that's horrible!" Diana threw another cushion at Darien's head.

"I know, right?!" Serena threw her hands up into the air, happy to finally have someone on her side.

Diana continued to berate the dark haired university student, encouraged by Serena's input. "What in the world is going on in that thick-headed, clueless male skull of yours?! I can't believe y-"

"I like dango dumplings!" Darien shouted at the top of his lungs in an attempt to be heard over Serena and Diana's tag-team bully-fest. The apartment fell silent as the two girls stared at a blushing Darien. "I like…" He cleared his throat, talking in a much quieter tone now. "…sweet dumplings. They're… my favourite."

Diana could barely supress her urge to laugh out loud. She opened her mouth to speak, but soon realised that had she said anything at the moment, she would have burst out into tearful fits of laughter. Instantly, she clasped her hands over her mouth to hold in her giggles.

A rosy hue stained Serena's cheeks as she realised that his nickname for her had, in fact, changed a long time ago. He hadn't called her the full 'Dumpling Head' nickname in quite some time. These days it was merely, 'Dumpling'; a pet name which held a new meaning now that she was aware of his affections toward her, and his fondness for sweets. Her fingers gingerly reached for the top of her head. "I-it's just a wig." Serena nibbled on her bottom lip, feeling a little flustered and awkward as she pulled the wig off of her head. Her long golden locks cascaded down past her shoulders and waist. "I thought I'd give it a go since it has a hair net built in and I have work in half an hour…"

"D-do you need a ride to work?" Darien asked quietly, evidently trying to take the focus off of him and his startling new revelation.

"N-no, I think I'll be fine…" Serena stammered slightly as she quickly tied her hair back up into her usual buns and reached for the apartment door. "I kinda need the walk and the fresh air…" She smiled quickly before swiftly ducking out and shutting the door behind her.

Diana turned her attention toward the uncharacteristically flustered looking Darien and whistled. "Smooth…" She drawled cheekily, receiving two pillows to her face as a reward.

* * *

Serena took in a deep breath as she slowly walked out of the Luna Café at the end of her shift. Adjusting the clasp of her shoulder bag as she walked, it took her a moment to realise that she wasn't alone.

"Dar..." The petite blonde blinked a number of times, slightly startled as her tall housemate handed her a Styrofoam cup. "What are you doing here?" One of her hands reached up as an automatic response, taking the cup from his grasp.

"Walking you home from work, like always." A small frown graced his features as he seemed to state the obvious.

"But..." Serena tried to shake the look of evident confusion from her face. "Last night... I mean... y'know- boundaries and all…"

"I just want to make sure you're safe." Darien shrugged, putting on a blasé attitude. "You know, just because we discussed our boundaries last night, it doesn't mean I'll just immediately stop caring about you."

The slight rosy hue kissing Serena's cheeks began to spread, growing in intensity as she bowed her head, trying to hide her blushing face. "I just- I mean I assumed that... since we're not supposed to get romantically involved… I guess I just thought that this might be a little... intimate." Serena lifted the hot chocolate up to her lips and nibbled on the spout of the cup. "Maybe-" She paused, trying to gather her thoughts. "Maybe you walking me home isn't such a good idea anymore."

As they walked side by side in silent contemplation, the fingers of Darien's left hand accidently brushed up against Serena's right wrist. "You're probably right." Darien tried to ignore the jolt of energy he felt. "We should probably start trying to see less of each other." His gaze remained firmly on the path ahead of him, yet he couldn't help himself. He tested the waters again, twitching his fingers to brush up against Serena's once more, and once again, the jolt of electricity was there.

Darien wasn't the only one who felt it. The instant his fingers brushed against hers, Serena felt an immense feeling of comfort and warmth. Her heart began to beat faster within her chest with nervous excitement. She knew this was wrong. The first time she felt him, she simply put it down to an unintentional act of accidence, but the second and third times, she knew it was no accident.

"You're right." Serena nodded. "In fact, until we can sort out these feelings, we should probably try to avoid each other at all cost." Her fingers skimmed across his knuckles gently before daring to interlace with his for a brief moment. A shudder passed through Darien's body as Serena coyly danced her fingers along his. They continued their little game for a little longer until Darien finally caved, taking hold of Serena's hand firmly in his. They continued to walk in silence, hand in hand for another block, until they reached the apartment lobby. Darien slipped his fingers from Serena's as he reached for the key card in his pocket, swiping them both entry into the building. Not another word was said about the incident.

* * *

_Detention for daydreaming and not concentrating in class_. Serena grumbled as she kicked a small stone on the path. It was the first time she had received detention in almost a year. Surely Haruna-sensei knew that, right? Surely she knew that Serena had been working harder than normal lately. Maybe it was because Haruna-Sensei was really a power hungry woman that had been itching to demonstrate her ability to exert her dominance over the class one way or another, itching for months now, and at the first slip up from the class sleepy-head, BOOM! She was there, regardless of whether Serena had previously been trying to apply herself diligently or not.

"Hey, Dumpling." The sound of his motorbike engine did nothing to snap Serena out of her thoughts. "Dumpling!" He called out once more from the side of the road.

She was too distracted. Thoughts of a certain tall, dark haired, blue eyed, mysteriously contradicting housemate flooded her mind. What was his deal? He told her he had feelings for her, but said he couldn't act on them because he was possibly betrothed to another, and yet, even though the words that came out of his mouth told her to stay away, his actions and body language told another story. It was almost like a game of cat and mouse. She was so confused!

"Hey," Darien's voice finally managed to cut through her thoughts as his hand wrapped around her wrist, bringing her crashing down to reality. He was standing before her, a concerned look evident in his deep ocean blue eyes. "Is everything ok?"

"Oh... hi." Serena attempted to force a smile. Oh course it was him. Out of all the people in the world that she could have crossed paths with that afternoon, it _had_ to be him. "Sorry, I was distracted. I was given detention this afternoon." Her frown was followed by a small pout as she explained why she was let out so late. "Haruna-sensei is a power-hungry domineering monster teacher."

A large grin spread across Darien's lips as he watched the teenager kick another stone in annoyance. "Do you want a ride home?" Darien held out his spare helmet, noticing Serena's uncertainty and hesitation. "I'm on my way back from University."

She couldn't argue with that. Nodding slowly, Serena took hold of the helmet and placed it down on the ground beside her book bag. Reaching into her pocket, she proceeded to pin her hair up into loops. Her mind kept racing back to the fact that this probably wasn't a good idea, but a part of her reasoned that she had ridden on the back of Darien's motorcycle a number of times, and that this shouldn't be any different.

As she wriggled her way onto the back of the bike, she decided that it would probably be better if she held onto the handle at the back of the bike, instead of onto Darien, like she usually did. He noticed her uneasiness, but remained silent as he placed his helmet over his head and the engine roared to life.

The traffic seemed to lead them to stop at almost every intersection and Serena began to second guess the safety of holding onto the back of the bike. With each turn, she felt a little less secure, and anxiety began to build with her. She wasn't quite sure why. She told herself it was because motorbikes were a dangerous mode of transportation, but her heart simply longed to reach out and touch him. As Darien slowed the bike down for another red light, he felt the touch of a hand slowly, hesitantly slipping around his waist, followed by another on his other side.

He smiled to himself as Serena inched closer. He placed his hand over hers momentarily, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "Hold on tight, Dumpling." He called out behind her, and she rested her head against his back in response. If this was the last time she could hold him in her arms, then she damn well was going to make it count.

A small sigh escaped Serena's lips as Darien pulled into his designated parking spot. Releasing the kickstand and removing his helmet, he hopped off the bike and held his hand out for Serena to take. She struggled and kicked for a few moments, her legs too short to touch the ground. Darien couldn't help but smile as Serena flailed about a minute or so longer before taking his hand and slipping into his arms. She froze in place, feeling his supportive arms wrapped around her and his solid chest up against her cheek. Looking up slowly, her blue eyes met his affectionate gaze and she broke the stare.

"We should really stop doing this..." Serena pulled away slowly, straightening out her school uniform as she picked up her book bag.

"You really need to stop getting detention." Darien smirked in playful retaliation.

"And you really need to stop taking the long way home from University and going past my school to check if I was let out late or not!" Serena blew a raspberry, satisfied at Darien's surprised reaction. The girl seemed to know more about his habits than she let on.

"Sorry for caring about your wellbeing." Darien shrugged off the 'stalker' accusations as he casually flung his book bag over his shoulder. It irritated her. His cool unconcerned demeanour got to her every time. She wondered how he could remain so completely blasé about the whole situation, about everything, while she boiled beneath the surface. It ate away at her and she cursed the fates for handing her the _star crossed lovers_ card from their deck of life. But he remained ever so calm; seemingly unfazed. Even worse, he seemed to be tempting her and playing with her emotions. What kind of forbidden fruit mocked her for her obedience? It pissed her off.

As they reached the elevator, Darien pressed the Lobby button. Serena's eyes shot up to the man beside her. "What are you doing?" She asked. "Top level, buddy."

"You're cooking dinner tonight, right?" Darien continued to stare blankly at the chrome coloured elevator doors as they shut.

"Yes..."

"And have you gone shopping for ingredients?" That mocking tone had returned in Darien's voice again. Serena clenched her teeth in slight agitation.

"No..."

"Then we're going shopping." He shrugged, stepping out of the elevator and into the lobby.

"But, why are you coming?" Serena skipped to keep up with the tall man in front of her.

"Are you really going to carry all the groceries home by yourself? Knowing you, two bags will be dedicated to snacks and ice cream alone." Darien's eyes remained firmly fixed ahead of him as he spoke. He refused to look at Serena, who he knew would be pouting at him, for fear of breaking his neutral expression and smiling, therefore possibly revealing that he was scheming. He placed his book bag down by the lobby admin desk. Serena followed suit.

"Why couldn't we just take your car then?" Serena frowned, catching up to Darien. "We were just in the car park!"

"I feel like walking." Darien shrugged again. "It's good to get some fresh air once in a while."

"We just had fresh air! 60km/h of fresh air, blasting straight onto my face!" Serena stomped her foot like a petulant child, feeling like her protests were falling on deaf ears, and as Darien took another odd turn, Serena stopped walking altogether. "Where are you going?"

"Short cut through the park." Darien turned and waited for Serena to catch up. She stared at him, eyeing him down suspiciously. "If you don't hurry up, it'll start raining, and we'll be caught in it." It never occurred to Serena that Darien's words were more of a promise, than a threat. True to his word, a few minutes later, single, heavy, fat drops of rain began to fall from the sky. Serena squealed as she sought temporary shelter from the closest tree.

"This isn't working!" Serena held her hands over her head to shield herself from the rain. "I'm still getting wet and it's starting to rain heavier!" Darien suppressed a smile as he grabbed hold of Serena's hand and ran through the rain in search of another, more suitable shelter. Heading toward the centre of the park, he set his sights on the gazebo set among the rose gardens.

Standing underneath the gazebo, the drumming sound of the rain, coupled with the scent of dewy roses made for a relaxing scene. Darien leant against a pillar as he watched the grey skies opening up, releasing a Spring downpour. After wringing out the tips of her ponytails and the bottom of her skirt, Serena set her sights on the tall man standing at the other side of the gazebo, a wistful stare set in his eyes, his dark midnight black hair dishevelled and dripping from the rain. As soon as she was close enough, she punched him on the arm.

"What the h-!?"

"Why do you keep doing this?" Serena yelled over the rain. "What is your problem? Do you like torturing me or something, because you certainly are good at it!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Darien rubbed the instant bruise forming on his arm. Sure, he had _sort of_ planned it, but that was definitely not the response he had expected. What did he expect? He wasn't sure. Some sort of magical moment? A tender kiss? He sure as hell wasn't prepared for an aching arm.

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about!" She stormed off back to the other size of the gazebo, arms crossed and evidently not willing to apologise. "You're _supposed_ to be devoted to the princess!"

"Dumpling Head, it's raining!" He yelled back, inadvertently channelling his pain into anger. "I didn't _do_ anything. The forecast for today was rain. How was I supposed to know it'd be an afternoon shower?"

Still nothing. Serena refused to budge. Instead, she continued to stand, glaring at the red roses below the gazebo.

So the forecast was rain, that was true, but it didn't mean that Darien didn't know _when_ it was going to rain and manipulated the situation to his advantage. Yes, it killed him knowing that he couldn't be with the one girl that he had finally admitted having feelings for. It was even worse knowing that he had harboured these feelings for a year, and in that year, something could have come of their relationship, but it was most likely too late now. His dreams were becoming more and more vivid, which meant that he was probably getting closer to finding his illusive princess, and he had to be prepared. But the nail in the proverbial coffin came when he realised that his feelings for Serena were only getting stronger with time. Yes, he had told her that it would never work between them, but it didn't stop how he felt, and a part of him dearly wanted to show her just how deep his affections ran.

This was what hurt them both the most. He wasn't quite ready to give her up. Instead, both Serena and Darien continued to toy with destiny, knowing that it could only ever lead to more pain.

"I'm sorry." Darien's apology was barely audible over the sound of rain, as he stood a good two feet away from the seething blonde. She took a step forward, then another, followed by another, walking down the gazebo steps until she was standing amongst the roses, letting the rain wash away her anger. "What are you doing?" Darien cautiously followed the silent girl. Slowly, she turned to face him.

"I'm the one who should be sorry." Reaching up, she brushed the dripping bangs away from Darien's eyes. "I guess I'm just angry because it just seemed too... convenient. It just seems too perfect and romantic and if we were... I mean, if we could..." Serena lowered her hand by her side again. "If only..." She shook her head, trying to rid herself of those types of thoughts before they reduced her to tears. "I'm sorry. I wish I could take back everything I said."

A gentle smile graced Darien's lips as he removed his jacket and placed it around Serena's shoulders. She pulled it in closer to her body gratefully. "It's really not all that cold," She glanced up at the rain clouds which seemed to slowly scatter and disperse, taking with them the rain. "And I think it's stopping."

"Your white school shirt is still wet and semi-transparent though." Darien smirked, earning him another bruise for his efforts.

* * *

"The pasta dough is still too sticky, you'll need to add more flour." Darien watched over Serena's shoulder. It was difficult for him to instruct without getting his hands dirty and showing her, but she had insisted on cooking this dish all on her own.

Serena reached into the bag of flour and pulled out another half cup, scattering it over the kitchen bench top, causing small clouds of flour to rise and swirl up into the air. These puffs tickled Serena's nose, causing her to sneeze. An even larger swirl of flour rose about the petite blonde, settling all around her.

"Oops..." Serena huffed the flour away, trying not to breathe any more in.

A broad grin spread across Darien's face at the sight of the flour covered teen. He reached his right hand up and brushed his thumb against Serena's cheek, removing a fine layer of powder. Serena's eyes fluttered shut slowly and she shuddered ever so slightly in response to the warmth of his touch.

"I should probably go check on the sauce." Serena took a ragged breath in to try to settle her nerves and ignore the way her body craved his touch, as she manoeuvred her way around Darien and headed for the stovetop.

"Reduce the heat." Darien slipped in behind her, one hand leaning casually against the counter beside Serena, the other resting on his waist. He inched ever closer, so close that as he spoke, Serena could feel his breath dancing along the back of her neck and across her collarbone. "Here, if you hold the spoon like this, your hand won't get so tired." Darien placed his hand over Serena's guiding hers as he changed her grip and hold of the wooden spoon.

"I see..." Serena's cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. Ever so subtly, she leant back, moulding her body so her back pressed up against Darien's chest, relishing in the rush of endorphins and the warmth. "Like this?" Her voice came out sounding ever so innocent as she referred to the way her hand now held the spoon. She didn't dare to turn and face him, knowing just how close he was to her now.

Darien's fingers slowly slipped from hers and he leant forward, barely grazing his lips against her neck. "Perfect." He murmured against the sensitive skin, eliciting an almost silent moan of delight from Serena.

"I'm hoooome!" Diana called out from the front door, causing both Darien and Serena to jump in alarm. "What's cooking? It smells delicious!" Shuffling closer, she peeked her head into the kitchen. Her bubbly smile turned to suspicion as she found Darien and Serena at opposite ends of the room, one staring up at the ceiling, the other at the floor, both in complete silence.

"Pasta." Darien blurted out all too quickly. Like a doe caught in headlights, his eyes were wide and his posture stiff. His hands picked up a stray measuring cup as he attempted to make himself look busy.

"Right..." Diana eyed down the couple curiously before backing down the hallway. "Well, let me know when it's done. I'll be in the room, 'Rena." Just as she finished her statement, the front door opened once again.

"Hey guys!" Andrew beamed, placing his coat down and kicking his sneakers off before he shut the apartment door. "Dinner smells great!" Before he could respond, Diana looped her arm with his, pulling him toward the balcony.

"Drew! Just the kid I was looking for!" She plastered a fake smile all over her face as she dragged the newcomer forcefully by the arm. Once satisfied that they were out of earshot, Diana bowed her head in close, lowering her voice as she spoke. "Is it just me, or are those two love birds getting cosier and cosier by the second?"

"What do you mean?" Andrew casually glanced over at Serena and Darien as they rolled, moulded and cooked pasta together.

"The stolen glances, the longing stares, the 'accidental' brush up's against each other. A bit of a nudge here and a lingering touch there... don't tell me you haven't noticed it." Diana rolled her eyes. If anyone was to be named captain of team _Darena_, it would be Andrew. "They've been doing it all morning, and now it seems all this afternoon too." Diana nudged, directing the blond man's attention toward the couple once more. Sure enough, Darien reached out to brush a stray lock of hair away from Serena's face and she glanced up at him, holding eye contact for much longer than necessary with an appreciative smile lighting up her features.

"Now that you mention it, something's going on..." A small smile tugged at the corner of Andrew's lips as he crossed his arms in proud approval.

"You mean other than the fact that they both admitted their feelings for each other last night?"

"What?!" Andrew struggled to contain his excitement. "And?"

"And they both tried to argue that Darien belonged with the long lost Princess of the Moon." Diana slowly massaged her temples before focusing her gaze up toward the heavens, as if to ask why all the drama was necessary. "They conceded their feelings for one another and took the high, moral road of planned destiny and righteousness."

"Nope," Andrew shook his head, certain that the romantic chemistry between the two had increased, not decreased. "They're definitely a couple now, and they're hiding it from us."

"You think so?"

"I know so." Andrew smacked his palm down on the balcony railing with conviction. "Damn, I've got to stop working so much. I miss all the good stuff! Has he told her that he's leaving?"

"I would assume so. They spent quite some time talking together last night, and he leaves in two days. I think it's pretty safe to say that Serena knows about him moving." Diana shrugged.

"I guess that explains why they're not letting us in on their official couple status. Maybe they're waiting until Darien comes back." Andrew attempted to reason, yet there was still something that didn't seem to add up for him.

"At least 'Rena can have a bit of closure now." Diana sighed sympathetically. "Everything's out in the open. There are no more secrets between them."

"Dinner's almost ready." Darien interrupted, sneaking up behind the two.

"What are you guys talking about?" Serena slipped out of his shadow.

"Vega!" Andrew pointed to the star, startled out of his secretive mode. "And Altair, the two stars that represent the deities of Orihime and Hikoboshi."

"What about them?" Serena leaned against the balcony, searching for the stars in the sky. Darien moved toward Serena, leaning in closer to point out the two stars, Vega and Altair. Andrew and Diana exchanged curious looks as the couple in question seemed to use any excuse at all to brush up against one another.

"The Japanese festival Tanabata is held in their honour." Andrew explained, happy that Serena and Darien both seemed to buy into his cover up. "It is said that Orihime, the daughter of the sky King once wove beautiful clothes on the banks of the Milky Way. She was lonely until she met Hikoboshi, a cow herder. The two instantly fell in love. It was said that their love was so passionate and all-consuming that Orihime gave up making clothes and Hikoboshi forgot about his cows, letting them roam all over, until the Sky King became so angry that he separated the two, forcing the Milky Way itself to keep them apart. Heartbroken, Orihime begged her father to allow her to see Hikoboshi. The Sky King conceded, but the couple remained destined to only ever meet once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th month."

"How tragic." Serena frowned as she gazed upon the two stars and the distance between them. As the four of them leaned against the balcony railing, Darien's fingers gently ran along the side of Serena's arm as he secretly comforted her whilst shifting his shoulders, giving the appearance of adjusting his posture.

"It reminds me of the story of the Titaness Selene, ruler of the night sky on her radiant winged chariot." Diana added wistfully. "She fell in love with a mortal man, but when she asked Zeus to give him the gift of immortality, Zeus placed Endymion into an eternal slumber within Mount Olympus, never to age, never to awaken. It is said that Selene rides her lunar chariot high through the sky every night, searching for and yearning to be reunited with her beloved Endymion."

_Endymion_. The name struck a chord within Darien. It was the same name that his own Lunar Princess called him. "How did you come to know of that story?" He struggled to mask the urgency in his voice.

"I was looking up the meaning of my name one day. It turns out Diana is a Roman Goddess attributed to the moon, akin to the Greek Titan Goddess, Selene. Depending on which version you prefer, both have ties to the mortal man, Endymion, in mythology."

Serena gave a melancholy sigh, becoming rather depressed about all these stories. "Why would the Fates allow two people to meet, only to forbid them from ever being together?" She shifted her gaze, glancing over at Darien from the corner of her eyes. "It's cruel." Serena hoped that neither Diana nor Andrew noticed as the fingers of her right hand travelled, secretly searching for Darien's, meeting in short, fleeting, gentle caresses.

_Endymion._ He could hear her voice calling out to him as plain as day, and in an instant, he pulled away.

"Dar?" Serena reached out to him as he cringed, clutching his head. "Are you okay?" As she placed her hand on his shoulder, a flash of light flooded his vision. _Serena, a white dress, wedding bells, the ground shaking, blood._ Immediately he reeled back from her touch. "Darien?" Serena withdrew her hand, noticing his adverse reaction to their contact.

"I'm fine." He snapped. Still shaken from his vision, Darien lifted a hand up to his nose, he was bleeding again.

"But y-you're..." Serena's meek voice quivered slightly. Her delicate, almost frightened tone drew his attention. As he focused back onto the concerned girl in front of him, Darien's icy stare softened. The sharp tone in his voice disappeared and the painful feeling in his chest subsided.

"Sorry..." Forgetting that they were still in the company of Andrew and Diana, Darien lifted his free hand up, gently cupping Serena's cheek. "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm fine, really. It's just a nose bleed." He reassured. "It's probably just the dry air. I'll go clean myself up." Darien quickly excused himself, heading straight to the bathroom.

"So..." Diana slid in to Darien's place, beside Serena. "What was that all about?"

"What was wha-"

"Are you two dating?" Andrew interrupted. "Because as your favourite cousin, and _his_ best friend, I deserve to know if you are. I also place dibs on first born naming rights!"

"No we're no-"

"Then what was that overly romantic display of physical affection there?" Diana nudged playfully before grasping Serena's face in the palms of her hands, smooshing her cheeks together. "Fear not, fair maiden!" Diana continued in an overly dramatic tone. "Although your brave Prince has been wounded in battle, 'tis not a mortal wound. I bid thee farewell til I may overcome such ailments and be by your side once again."

"Are you on crac-"

"Seriously, I need to know if you two have finally gotten together or not!" Andrew spat.

"No, we're not." Serena wriggled her way out of Diana's grasp and slipped back into the apartment. "Now if you crazy nut jobs will excuse me, I'm going to go serve dinner."

"Ah," Diana sighed gently. "Young love..." She grinned. "Ten bucks says their first born is a girl."

Andrew's eyes glimmered with mischievous hope, "Make it twenty, and you have a deal."

* * *

Serena pushed the rooftop fire escape door open, stepping out into the darkness. Her mind seemed foggy; clouded with doubt over all the happenings of the past few days. She felt as though she needed some fresh air and space or she would slowly begin to suffocate.

But the fates had other plans for her that night.

"So…" She smiled wearily, realising that she wasn't alone on the rooftop. "We meet again."

"Sere…" Darien looked up from his telescope eyepiece. "What are you doing up here?"

"Well, I _thought_ I was getting away from_ you_." She poked her tongue out, half serious about her response, even though her tone was playful. "What are you looking at?" She quickly changed the topic so as to not have to explain herself.

"The Orion nebula." Darien explained quietly, as though if he spoke too loudly, he would scare the astronomical body away. Waving his hand, he ushered her closer so she could take a look. "With all the smog and light pollution of the city, it's usually pretty much impossible to see unless we go to the countryside, but it seems that the rain we had earlier this afternoon has cleared a lot of the dust particles from the sky, making it very clear."

"It's beautiful!" Serena continued to watch through the telescope. "I can't believe you can see that from here..." Her voice trailed away as she became distracted by him. She couldn't help but feel drawn to the ever-cool-and-composed man beside her. She had never looked through a telescope before, nor did she ever have any strong desire to do so, but there was just something about Darien… he seemed to make everything around her seem fascinating. She felt utterly spellbound.

"Here, let me show you Saturn." His hand slipped down, gently brushing across her waist and she slowly moved away, relishing his every touch. Darien redirected the telescope to the eastern quadrant of the sky, searching for the ringed planet. Just as he located it, Serena knelt down beside his chair, placing a hand on his knee.

"Darien…" Serena reached over, brushing her fingers against his jaw gently to gain his attention. His heart skipped a beat at her feather soft touch and he turned to face her. A strange look glimmered within her eyes as a small smile formed on her uncertain lips. "I… I want to…" She stammered nervously as he slowly gravitated closer toward her, subconsciously trying to subdue her nerves. Somehow one of his hands managed to find hers, stroking it in an intoxicating yet comforting manner. She nibbled at the corner of her bottom lip and Darien couldn't help but stop and stare, remembering what it felt like to have her soft, velvety lips pressed up against his. "Darien, I want to kiss you-" She barely managed to finish her sentence before being cut off by the overpowering feeling of his lips fervently crashing down against hers.

It took all her energy and self-restraint not to melt within his arms as they enclosed around her, bringing her closer and holding her against his body. One of his hands gently cupped the porcelain skin of her cheek while the other caressed the curves of her waist and she struggled to contain the excitement and rapid beating of her heart. She boldly deepened the kiss and he met her passion and enthusiasm with a hunger that seemed to be hell-bent on devouring her. The kiss was perfect; passionate and honest, and everything that she wanted and needed from him at that moment, until a blinding flash of hot white light seemed to pierce Serena's mind. She groaned, wincing as the pain only seemed to intensify with each passing moment and fleeting caress. Pulses of light and images invaded her mind's eye; a broken kingdom, a prince in armour, a blood stained sword. It felt like a long forgotten repressed memory was forcing its way back into her skull, and every fibre of her being protested with intense violent spasms.

Serena reeled back from the kiss, clutching at her head momentarily as she pushed Darien away. She desperately gasped for air, feeling as though her lungs were being squeezed and deprived of oxygen. "No, we can't do this." Shaking her head to try and clear the aching from her foggy head, she rose to her feet and slowly backed away from the bewildered looking Darien. "I'm sorry." She apologised, all the while, still seeing white hot flashes of searingly painful visions in her mind's eye. "We can't be doing this. This isn't right."

"Sere…" Darien reached his hand out to try and sooth the skittish blonde, but she reeled back even further, as though his gentle touch scorched her sensitive skin. "Sere, I have something I really need to tell you… A few things, actually-"

"No, whatever it is, please don't say it. You were right when you said we needed boundaries." Eventually, she managed to catch her breath, and the fogginess of her mind cleared.

The conflicted look on Darien's face reflected his heart's turmoil. He knew that he had previously been the one to instigate the whole 'needing to set boundaries' thing, but as soon as he had an inkling about her desire to kiss him, all logical and rational thought flew out the window. "But-" He was just about to tell her everything; his scholarship at Harvard University and his flight to America, his strong desire and decision to forget about the Princess and break all the rules he had recently set, the fact that he was truly and completely, head over heels, madly in love with her… but she interrupted him before he could let out another word.

"We need time and space away from each other. This can't happen again. You're meant to be with the princess." Serena eventually backed in to the fire escape door. "We can't let this happen again. We need to stay away from each other."

"Serena, wait! Serena, I don't want that-" He took a step to chase her down, but she raised a hand, signalling a warning not to come any closer.

"I want that." She was on the verge of tears and her whole body trembled, but her voice was firm and clear. Darien had no idea what had suddenly come over the petite girl to change the whole mood between them. "I'm serious, Darien. You need to stay away from me." Opening the door, she slipped into the stairwell. Skipping down a flight of stairs, she reached the eighth level of the building before leaning her back against the wall of the corridor to try to regain her bearings and still her pounding heart. A trickling feeling distracted her from her thoughts and she lifted her hand up to her nose before inspecting her fingers. She was bleeding.

* * *

. . .

Dun dun duuuuun! There you have it for now. I wanted this chapter to be a little more heart-warming and promising, since it seems that Darien's getting a bit of hate-mail from some of you guys, haha! I wanted his character to be frustrating due to his over-rational and logical thought process… but perhaps I went a little overboard with him, huh? I never intended for Darien to seem as though he's toying with Serena… but more that he's extremely conflicted and torn… but anywho, hopefully this chapter will help soften his image a little, because I know that the next chapter sure as hell wont! Ohhh the teasers =P I hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to let me know what you thought!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	33. D-Day: Hearts An Ocean Apart

This took a little longer than expected… I read over this chapter more than 10 times, making various edits and additions and I'm still not quite satisfied. I'm not sure how else I can make it better though, so I guess this will have to do until I do a whole story revamp once it's done =)

**_Thanks to:_** Guest, Nancy67, Flpirate305, DragonLadyRelena, kbtjmandy, MinnieMoosi, Princess Moonie of the moon, animeneko311, CharmedSerenity3, Nich31, Perfect Beauty, devilsangels11287, jessicanicoleharp, trish1573, Moonie, Guest, PrincessAnnastacia, LoveInTheBattleField, kera69love, Miss Moon Rose, lyss010387, natashasurgirl, SmTwilight, **_and_ **SailorMoon489 **_for reviewing the previous chapter._**

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 33 - D-Day. Hearts Oceans Apart.

"There are things that we don't want to happen but have to accept, things we don't want to know but have to learn, and people we can't live without but have to let go."

_[- Jennifer Jareau]_

The apartment was dead quiet with only Darien at home. Andrew had left for work, Diana was out shopping for another suitcase, and Serena was at school. Darien leaned back on his executive desk chair. His table was just about empty, cleared of all papers and books that he may need. Sliding his desk drawer out, he sifted through fistfuls of old post-it notes until he found his draft New Year's Resolution list. Eyeing it down briefly, his gaze returned back to the first resolution on the list: _1. Collect as many of the 7 Rainbow Crystals I can. _

He rose to his feet abruptly and walked into Serena's bedroom with a newfound sense of purpose. Lifting her mattress up, he hesitated only momentarily before reaching for the red Rainbow Crystal. In one hand, he held his list, in the other sat the red gem. With a heavy heart, Darien returned back to his bedroom, placing the crystal in a small padded box, alongside the orange and green gems that he had acquired.

* * *

"So, you're really going through with this, huh?" Andrew watched as Darien packed that last of his belongings into his suitcase, checking over his list for the millionth time.

"Yep." Darien nodded simply. "There's nothing keeping me here."

A moment of silence filled the room as Andrew contemplated the meaning behind Darien's last statement. "What happened a couple nights ago?" The blond man asked, finally breaking the silence. "Serena came running back into the apartment and locked herself in the bathroom for half an hour. You two have been avoiding each other like the plague ever since." Andrew leant back on Darien's desk chair. "She was with you, up on the rooftop, wasn't she?"

"Yes, she was." Darien walked over to his desk, opening one of the drawers to pull out his travel documents. "I don't really know what happened. She asked me to kiss her, and I did." Darien paused, noticing Andrew's instantaneous look of protective alarm. "I realised something that night. I would have given everything up for her at that moment. The Rainbow Crystals, the Princess, Harvard… but then she pushed me away."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. It's like something came over her, and out of nowhere she just totally shut me out." Darien ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I don't know if it was guilt, or if I did something wrong, but all I know is that she told me to stay away from her."

"So…" Andrew began, "you're running away to Harvard?"

"I'm giving her what she wanted." Darien frowned. "Time and space."

"Two years… half way across the other side of the world… A little excessive, don't you think?" Andrew spun around on the desk chair as Darien continued to organise the last bits of paperwork in his file.

"Harvard was always the plan. Having feelings for Serena wasn't." The dark haired man stated bluntly.

"Will you be able to focus?" Andrew decided it was probably better to try to change the subject a little. It was evident that talking about leaving Serena was making Darien agitated. "Moving to a different country is hard enough as it is without having all this weighing on your mind."

"I'll be fine, Drew." Darien took a moment for himself, sitting on the bed as he stared at his open suitcase. "I've always managed in the past. And besides, It's only two years." He seemed to be trying to convince himself more than anybody else. Another moment of silence passed between the two, before Andrew slowly rose to his feet.

"My shift starts in half an hour, I've gotta jet." He reached onto the top shelf of Darien's book case. Plucking a framed picture of himself, Darien and Serena, he flung the photograph into the suitcase and watched as Darien smiled briefly. "Good luck. Call if you need anything… I know you will. I imagine you'll still want to keep tabs on my little cousin." Andrew raised an eyebrow expectantly and watched as Darien nodded almost sheepishly.

"Thanks, Drew." Darien held his hand out and Andrew took it, shaking it briefly before pulling his best friend in for a man-hug.

Andrew slipped out of Darien's room and knocked gently on Serena's bedroom door before peering in. "Di…" He smiled gently and watched as the brunette rose to her feet. "I'm off to work..."

"Thank you so much for the roof over my head." Diana flung her arms around the blond man and squeezed the air out of his lungs.

"You've always got a home here." Andrew ruffled the petite woman's hair playfully. "Take care of yourself and come back soon, alright?"

"I will."

"Darien will be going with you to the airport, I presume?" Andrew asked and Diana nodded slowly. "Make sure he takes care of you, alright?"

"Are you kidding me? That kid will just cramp up my style." Diana poked her tongue out while winking. "Take care of yourself. Let me know if you're ever on the west coast… perhaps as a stop over on your way to Paris with Reika?"

"I'll make sure to plan it. Best of luck, Di." Andrew leant over for another quick hug before heading off to work.

"So, you're really going, huh?" Serena brought her knees up to her chest as she watched Diana pack away the last of her belongings. "It's strange, I've only known you for a month, but I feel like you know so much about me."

"Aww, 'Rena, you're the best little sister anyone could wish for." Diana added cheerfully, noticing the teary tone in Serena's voice. "I'm so glad I got to meet Sailor Moon… and you, of course. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Di. You'll have to write to me every day." Serena hastily wiped the tears away from her eyes. "Thank you for everything, and I'm sorry I can't come to wish you goodbye at the airport."

"No, you have fun at your camp trip." Diana shook her head briefly, struggling to hold back her own tears from falling. "I'm just sorry I couldn't get Darien to realise what a special young woman you are." Diana sighed, picking up her bags and slinging them over her shoulder, moving them to the front door.

"It's fine, really." Serena shrugged. "We've talked about it and perhaps he was right." Grim flashes of silvery stone ruins played in her minds eye. "Perhaps keeping some distance from each other is the best thing for the both of us right now. I think we're close to being in a good place at the moment." Serena shrugged, trying to act mature and blasé.

"Well, I'm glad you two got the opportunity to talk." Diana compulsively glanced down at her watch. "Shouldn't you be going now, 'Rena? You're going to miss the camp bus. I'll get Darien to drop you off at school while you get your camping bag, Ok?" Diana didn't wait for Serena's response as she walked back down the hall and gently knocked on Darien's door. Pausing momentarily, she gently turned the door knob of his bedroom door and peeked her head in. Darien stood on his balcony, staring at the sun setting on the horizon.

"Dar, can you-"

"Yeah, I heard." Darien nodded softly as he turned away from the view and strolled back onto his apartment room, picking up his keys that lay on top of his luggage bag before shutting his bedroom door behind him.

"'Rena," Diana stopped the blonde teen just as she was about to leave. The violet eyed woman pulled her in for a tight hug, whispering in her ear as she did. "Find Darien's princess… and when you do, kick her in the shin for me." She winked playfully before waving goodbye.

* * *

The trip down the Juuban High School was spent in total silence. Darien seemed to be in a deeply contemplative mood, distracted in his own world of thoughts. Serena didn't want to interrupt by starting some lame story or small talk, which probably would have led to another argument or more tears. As she had mentioned earlier, the two of them had reached an impasse. Their relationship was currently as fragile as the first snowflake of winter.

"Well," Serena began as they pulled up at the front gate of her school. "Thanks." She added simply as they both slipped out of the car and Darien assisted Serena in retrieving her camping bag from the boot of his car. She slipped the heavy bag over her shoulders and bowed her head slightly, showing her gratitude once more.

"Serena," Darien reached his hand out, gently taking hold of her arm as she turned to leave. She turned cautiously, shooting him a questioning look. He only ever used her proper name when he had something important to say. "I..." He hesitated, dropping his hand back down to his side. Shaking the thoughts out his head, he straightened his posture and tucked his hands into his pockets, leaning back against his car. "Take care of yourself." There it was again, that cool, distant, standoffish act of his that he used to hide his real thoughts and feelings.

"Yeah... I will." Serena nodded slowly, suddenly feeling very awkward. She nibbled nervously on her bottom lip, feeling them tingle with the lingering memory of their last kiss playing in her mind. There was something about the way he looked at her, with such longing, like he was drinking up her image. It made her yearn to feel him in her arms again. "I'll see you on Monday."

"Right." Darien shot her a warm smile. She still had no idea that this was their last goodbye. She wouldn't see him for another two years. "Bye, Dumpling." Serena continued to carefully watch the curiously strange man before her. She wasn't sure why he was acting so weird all of a sudden. A small smile began to spread across her lips as she figured that he would probably miss her while she was away.

"Bye, Jerk face." She winked, sticking her tongue out playfully before turning to find her class. Darien watched her retreating form until she was out of sight and sighed, running his fingers through his jet black hair. His heart sank within his chest as he stepped back into his car, buckled his seatbelt in, swallowed the ever-growing lump of emotions in his throat and sped back to the apartment.

The sound of the key turning in the door caused Diana to rise to her feet. She watched as a despondent looking Darien slipped into the apartment and picked up one of the luggage bags by the door. His gaze roamed across the apartment one last time before turning to his best friend. She wanted to ask how the goodbyes went. Surely Serena would have shed a mix of happy and sad tears, but if the current state of Darien reflected even a tiny sliver of their last goodbyes, then she knew that bringing up the topic would only depress the man even more.

"Are you ready to go?" His quiet tone indicated a level of enthusiasm far below what would have been expected from somebody who was about to fly across the world to start a new chapter in his life. Diana nodded silently, hearing the sound of his heartache in his voice.

* * *

"Thanks for letting me have the window seat, Dar." Diana decided that a whole two hours of brooding silence was more than enough. There was no way she could sit for ten hours straight without talking. At this stage, it seemed that Darien would give Heathcliffe a run for his money.

"Uh?" Darien blinked twice, his train of thought broken by the budding conversation. "That's fine." He added simply before realising he was probably being rude. "I never really asked, what are your plans for America, Di?"

"Oh, you know..." The brunette waved one of her hands about in a nonchalant manner. "A little bit of espionage work, maybe some counter-terrorism..."

"So, you're going to teach Japanese in schools?"

"Yeah, most likely." Diana admitted, lowering her head in defeat. Darien gave a small chuckle, the first all day. "I hate how you can crush my dreams so easily like that." She added, poking her tongue out playfully. It was then that she noticed Darien shifting uncomfortably in his seat. A pained expression took hold of his features and his chest began to rise and fall rapidly as he lowered his head into his hands. "Darien, Darien!" Diana began to panic, looking around for a stewardess.

"Don't," Darien warned through clenched teeth. "Try not to draw any attention." He stifled a groan. "It's Serena, she just transformed."

"What are you going to do?" Diana wrapped an arm around the man beside her in an attempt to support him as she whispered quietly. "You can't transform on the plane, it would freak everybody out!"

"I know," Darien struggled to regulate his breathing and subdue the pounding in his head. "It should pass soon... unfortunately for me, it only really hurts if I try to fight it."

"Well fight it, Darien!" Diana grit her teeth, anxiously clenching her jaw shut. "Suck up the pain and fight it, because if you did something as crazy as transform in a blinding flash of light, I'm pretty sure they'd open those doors and throw us both off the plane, regardless of whether or not we're thirty-thousand feet above the ground. I don't think your fluffy little cape or lame-ass roses will stop us from becoming pancakes, Darien!"

"Is everything alright here?" At that moment, a stewardess appeared.

"It's fine," Diana turned her head and smiled in the most reassuring manner that she could muster at that moment. "He's just having a bit of a panic attack. Not a fan of flying, I'm afraid." She added as Darien's breathing began to deepen and slow to a more natural pace. "But if we could please get a glass of water, I'm sure Mr. Chiba here would very much appreciate that."

"I understand completely, I'll be right back." The air hostess shot Darien a sympathetic smile before leaving to track down that cup of water.

"Thanks, Di." Darien cleared his throat as he sat back into his chair. The stewardess returned and cheerfully handed Darien the paper cup filled with water before leaving to tend to other patrons.

"Thanks? That's all I get?" Diana snatched the water away from Darien, drinking it down in two gulps. "I almost had a heart attack myself, praying like crazy that you wouldn't transform in front of her." She dramatically wiped the sweat off of her brow before deciding to change the topic to keep Darien's mind busy. "So… are you really going to stay for two whole years, studying at Harvard, without coming home? Not even for a visit?"

"I might come home for the holidays." Darien's heartbeat had returned back to its regular resting rate, but he still couldn't help but worry about Sailor Moon. He had no way of knowing whether or not she was safe. "I guess it depends on how busy I am."

"What do you mean by it depends on how busy you are. Surely Serena wants you to come home to her every chance you can get, right?"

"Yeah, I don't know about that anymore..." Darien leant his head back on the chair, looking up at the roof of the plane. "I think I may have burned that bridge when I walked out of that apartment…"

"What are you saying, Dar? She broke up with you because you left?" Diana leant in closer to decipher Darien's facial expressions. A moment of silence passed and Darien made no effort to respond. "You _did_ tell her you were leaving for America, right?" Diana's statement elicited a small flinch from her travel partner. "Darien!" The violet eyed woman raised her voice and nudged her friend, demanding more information.

"Keep your voice down. People are looking." Darien hushed before confirming his friend's suspicions. "It's for the best."

"Darien, I can't believe you!" Diana punched his thigh, causing Darien to yelp in pain. "You didn't even tell her you were leaving?" She punched him again, "How do you think that's going to make her feel, idiot?"

"I couldn't tell her..."

"Unbelievable! I can understand you letting her have some space, but not telling her that you were going away for_ two _years? You're such a jack-ass, Darien! I don't even want to talk to you for the rest of this flight." Diana shot one last glare in Darien's direction before turning her whole body away to face the window. "And if you want my professional opinion, Darien-idiot, you're not going to last two years away from her, so you'd better start polishing off your grovelling skills."

* * *

"Where are you?!" Sailor Moon yelled out to the night sky as she weaved and dodged the enemy's fireballs. During the course of the night, the Dark Kingdom had tracked down another Rainbow Crystal Carrier; a student at the camp. Amongst the fog and confusion of Mercury's bubbles, many of the students had run back to their cabins to hide from the terror, a few of them speculating that the whole thing had been set up as a prank or hoax. "You know, _now _would be the opportune time to come and winch me to safety _before_ I become Sailor toast!"

"Sailor Moon!" Mercury hollered out a warning

"Who are you yelling at?" Jupiter added. "Focus or you'll-" Just at that moment, Sailor Moon stumbled backwards against a tree. The next fireball hit her square across her left arm; the same place that she had taken a large hit to merely five nights before. The sound of her own voice crying out in agony was the last thing she remembered hearing before her world spun into darkness.

When Serena came to, she was surrounded by a number of curious onlookers and members of the teaching staff.

"What- what happened?" Serena winced as she felt a cool mist being applied to her arm.

"You don't remember?" Lita rushed to the side of her peer. "You tripped and fell, you klutz! You burnt your arm falling too close to the bonfire."

"Serena, we've called your cousin Andrew, he's on his way to pick you up." Ms Haruna, Serena's homeroom teacher finished tending to her wounds, before leaving the clumsy teen to the care of her two close friends.

"What really happened?" Serena whispered in a hushed tone.

"The monster that took over Urawa's body disappeared soon after Zoicite took the crystal. We heard news from Mars and Venus, back home. They were able to track it down and temporarily turn him back with help from Luna and some potion that Rei concocted." Ami informed. "No one seems to remember anything about Urawa transforming, but you'll have to heal him for good as soon as you get back. Who knows how long that potion will last."

"Why were you so distracted, Serena? Who were you talking to?" Lita sat down beside her friend.

"Tuxedo Mask." Serena growled under her breath as her foggy memory began to return. "He was supposed to save me!"

"But when have we ever relied on him to save us before?" Lita questioned. "I know you and him have had a _thing_ for each other in the past, but don't forget Serena, we still don't know who he is. We don't know what his intentions are, and until we do, it's probably for the best that we don't trust him."

"Lita's right." Ami nodded in firm agreement. "You've now seen it for yourself first hand that you can't rely on him. It only resulted in you getting hurt."

"When I find him," Serena continued to curse under her breath, evidently not paying too much attention to what her fellow Sailor Soldiers were saying, "I'm going to wring his puny little neck until his fat, stupid head explo-"

"-Yes I'm Andrew. I've come to take Serena home." A frantic looking blond man pushed his way through the small sea of students until he spotted the activities coordinator, who promptly pointed him in the direction of his younger cousin.

"Serena! What happened?" Andrew knelt down to examine Serena's burns. For the most part, she remained completely oblivious to Andrew's presence, still fuming over the whole situation.

"I'm going to kill that unreliable son-of-a-"

"You know, it's probably best if she tells you in the car, 'Drew." Lita handed the tall man Serena's duffle bag, giving them both a nudge, hoping that Serena wouldn't draw more attention to herself.

"'Rena," Andrew began again, after both she and her bag were safely loaded into his car. He started the ignition and steered the vehicle down the path towards the highway. "How did you get those burns?"

"Sailor Soldier business." Serena began through clenched teeth. "A monster appeared and decided that it would play target practice, with me as the target and flaming balls as ammunition."

"I see." Andrew's shoulders relaxed slightly and he breathed a small sigh of relief, knowing that her injuries were not sustained due to other sinister reasons, or even her own clumsiness. "Is the pain making you angry?"

"No!" Serena spat, fiery daggers flickering within her eyes as she stared out the window. "I'm angry because _Tuxedo Mask_ decided not to show up and help me. That pompous jerk, Darien, left me vulnerable on the field and didn't make any effort at all to help us." Andrew remained silent as Serena continued to vent her anger. "Is he at home sleeping or something? You'd better call ahead and tell him to run and hide, because I swear to Aphrodite that if he's still around when I get home, I will kick his bedroom door down and rain down moon beams of wrath-fuelled fury like he has never, _ever,_ seen before in his life."

Pulling over to the side of the road, Andrew stopped the car and the two of them sat in the darkness. "That idiot..." Andrew cursed quietly to himself as he leant his head against his steering wheel momentarily. Taking in a deep breath, he turned on the interior car light before beginning his explanation.

"I know right?" Serena began again, seemingly fuelled by Andrew's comment. "Idiot is an understatem-"

"Serena," Andrew began slowly. He had a feeling it would have come to this. "Darien didn't tell you where he was going tonight, did he?" He turned to his younger cousin and groaned in dismay as soon as she shook her head slowly. A fleeting look of confusion momentarily replaced her anger. "What did Darien say when he left you this afternoon?"

"When he dropped me off he told me to take care of myself. I said I'd see him on Monday and he said bye. That's about it." Serena leant back in her chair as she recalled the events that occurred a few hours earlier.

"Serena," Andrew's voice softened. "Darien left for America earlier this evening. Tuxedo Mask couldn't help you because he's on a plane as we speak."

"What?" A look of disbelief graced Serena's features. "But… why? If he was going on a holiday then why didn-"

"He won a scholarship to complete two years of his PhD at Harvard University." Andrew interrupted, feeling like he had just ripped the bandaid off of a wound.

"You're kidding…" Serena studied the expression on Andrew's face for any hint at all of a practical joke. She found none. "I... I don't understand." Swallowing the lump in her throat, she blinked back tears of shock. It sounded so surreal and absurd. Just a few hours ago he was walking around the apartment, eating an apple. Two nights earlier, he had kissed her with a passion that still seemed so fresh in her memory. There had been no hint that he was leaving. No talk of it at all. Serena felt completely blindsided by the news. "Why didn't he just tell me?"

"I don't know." Andrew confessed. "He called me up as soon as he heard the good news three weeks ago, but told me that he wanted to tell you himself as soon as he got home. I don't know why he didn't… I guess that wayward kiss with Diana had something to do with it."

"_But he was looking for you. He wanted to tell you something important." _Diana's words echoed in Serena's head and she cringed at her own stupidity and stubbornness. He had tried again to tell her only a few nights ago, on the rooftop but she stopped him. She should have listened. She should have just let him speak.

"Idiot..." Serena tried her hardest to blink away her tears before swiftly reaching up to turn the interior car light off before Andrew could see her cry. "Andy, I just wanna go home." The sound of the ignition turning over responded to Serena's request, as the two spent the remainder of the journey home in complete silence.

* * *

Serena shuffled her feet through the front door of the apartment. With both Diana and Darien gone, the apartment was so quiet and felt so empty. Sure, she had been home alone before, but there was just something about knowing that neither Diana nor Darien were coming back home, that made Serena feel lonely.

"Come on, we should probably raid Darien's first aid kit for that magical burn cream of his." Andrew motioned for Serena to follow him down the hall. As he opened the door to Serena's room and placed her bag down, he noticed a small box and a note on her bed and couldn't help but shake his head at his friend's cowardly actions. "I'll go get that cream." Andrew slipped past Serena as she too noticed the box. Sitting down on the edge of her bed she lifted up the note and the box, placing them both on her lap.

"_I'm sorry_." Serena stared at the letters written in his hand, wondering if she should read the note.

"Are you going to open that?" Andrew nodded towards the small box as he knelt down and began to tend to Serena's burns.

"I don't know..." Serena winced as the cool cream began to sting against her skin. For some reason, it felt a lot more painful this time than when Darien had done it. "I don't know if I really want to set myself up for any more pain tonight."

"You should." Andrew finished applying the cream to Serena's arm and rose to his feet. "He's an idiot, but he cares about you." He placed a gentle, reassuring hand on her head before turning to leave.

"Why didn't he tell me?" The teary sound that resonated through Serena's voice was enough to make Andrew stop dead in his tracks. He gave a gentle sigh, turning around and leaning against the door frame.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "I guess he was trying to do what he always does; protect you." Andrew's heart tugged in his chest as he watched the tears fall from his little cousin's eyes. She was still so young and naïve to the world of relationships, and it pained him knowing that her first would be such a complicated one. "But if I had to put money on it, I'd say it was more to protect himself."

"I... I don't understand." Serena raised her hands up to her face in a futile attempt to brush the tears away from her eyes.

"He cares about you, 'Rena." Andrew shook his head, insinuating that it was not his place to say any more. "Maybe whatever is in that box will help you understand." With that, he slipped out of the room and left Serena to have some privacy. She held the small gift box in the palm of her hand as she unfolded the letter, turning it over.

_Dumpling,_

_I'm sorry you had to learn of my departure like this. I know it can't be easy for you, feeling like you're the last person in the world to know. Believe me, I wanted to tell you so many times, but for some reason, I just couldn't find the words. I don't know what it is, but ever since I met you, I've been filled with the most incredible, uncontrollable desire... to insult you. I honestly don't know what it is. Andrew yelled at me so many times, and I've spent countless nights trying to practice giving compliments, but to no avail. I think lately, teasing you has been my way of trying to keep us apart… and it has hurt us both. For this, I am sorry._

_I know you depend on Tuxedo Mask to be there for you whenever you need him. He's your knight in shining armour, the one you can depend on to always catch you when you fall, to be there for you when all else fails. You had a connection with Tuxedo Mask, an unspoken bond… but by revealing myself, I've dashed your dreams, and taken away your ideal prince charming. For this, I am truly sorry._

_It's true that I have kept things from you in the past under the guise of protecting you and your feelings, but truthfully, I haven't been very open and honest to myself about my own feelings. I know that by keeping secrets from you, I have managed to hurt you, and that is what I regret the most. Please believe me when I say that leaving wasn't my first choice. With everything that has happened these past few days, I had just about scrapped my plans for Harvard. More than anything, I was looking forward to building a relationship and spending time with you. I wanted to make you happy, like how you've brought happiness in to my life… but maybe you were right. Maybe us being apart is for the best._

_I'm sorry, Serena. As you very well know, I'm not accustomed to apologising, and I don't even know if I'm doing this right, but I hope you can forgive me because... well... because, you're a beautiful person. I'll miss you more than you'll ever know, and I hope the next time I see you, I'll have the courage to be able to tell you just how much you mean to me._

_Always,  
__Darien.__  
_

Serena continued to stare at the words, dancing about on the page before her. She was angry before, but now all that was left was complete and utter confusion. She had no idea how she felt anymore. Lying back on her bed, she recalled all times he had teased her, and the way he called her _Dumpling Head_ in his arrogant condescending tone. All the times he had tried to wake her up for school, specifically that one occasion which directly resulted in her getting detention for trying to brush the twigs out of her matted hair. Serena remembered how he would roar with laughter every time she brought home another failed exam, and how he doodled a fat, black moustache on her face the last time she fell asleep on his bed.

Picking up her phone, she dialled his number only to hear his voicemail message. She knew that his phone was turned off because he was still in the air, but it still pissed her off.

"You idiot, Darien!" Serena screeched into the phone, pacing back and forth across her room. "I can't believe you'd just leave like this without even telling me! I can't even begin to express how mad I am at you!" She continued to leave her loud message, all the while, struggling to hold back her sobs. "I _liked_ you teasing me. I_ know_ it was your weird way of showing you cared." Her sniffles became louder as more and more tears cascaded down her rosy cheeks. "When I told you to stay away from me, I didn't mean get on a plane and fly half way around the world for two years. I wanted to know that _you_ were sure about how you feel about me. I don't want to come second to the princess, and I don't want you to feel conflicted about us either. I may have had a crush on Tuxedo Mask, but _you're_ the one that I-" Her anger built up and she kicked her bed, shifting the mattress away from the base ensemble. "_You_ were my prince charming… and I can't believe you're gone now." Serena's voice cracked as she quietly cried on the phone. "The only time you ever truly hurt me was when you left without saying goodbye." She slumped down onto the floor in the middle of her room. "It was selfish of you to do this and I'll never forgive you." Just as she finished her sentence, the message cut off, leaving her listening to the sound of a dial tone.

She threw her phone onto her bed and sighed. Wiping the tears away from her eyes, she motioned to move her mattress back but noticed that her rainbow crystal was missing from its usual hiding spot. Crawling over toward the bed, Serena's heart practically stopped as she reached her arm beneath the mattress in search of the red gem. "No… He wouldn't have…" She shook her head in an attempt to dissolve all thoughts of Darien taking her rainbow crystal. "He wouldn't-" Her hand grabbed hold of a small rectangular object and she slowly pulled it out. It was a box the size of her hand. Attached was another little note.

Serena opened the folded piece of paper and read his words out loud. _"I'd give her up for you."_ She opened the box, revealing three of the seven rainbow crystals; two of them previously belonging to Tuxedo Mask.

It was then that she remembered the other little box attached to the letter he had written her. Reaching over to her bedside table to grab the box, Serena sat back on the floor, slumped against her bed as she lifted the lid of the small box, revealing a small golden charm in the shape of a heart.

In an instant she recalled a flood of other memories. Darien helping her study for her entrance exams. Her first kiss. How he drove her to school whenever she was running late. All the times he walked her home after work. The numerous other charms on her bracelet. Her second kiss. The week that he spent sleeping on the couch, because she had kicked him out of his own bed to use his air conditioner. How he held her hand as they walked home during a storm. The countless times Tuxedo Mask had saved her life and offered her words of encouragement and support. How he let her cry in his arms. The Winter Wonderland he planned to cheer her up. The way his eyes softened whenever he quietly called her '_Dumpling'_.

"_I'm very much attracted to you"._ She could still hear his words which echoed in her heart, and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

. . .

"Andy?" Serena slowly approached the living room area where her cousin was sitting, watching the television.

"What's up, 'Rena?" Andrew pat the spot on the couch beside him, motioning for Serena to join him. He tried not to notice her red, puffy eyes, swollen from all the tears she had just cried. The petite blonde smiled and silently sat down beside her cousin.

"Andy…" Serena began once more after a moment of silent contemplation. "The next time you speak to Darien, can you please tell him that I'm happy for him?" She leant back on the couch, lifting her knees up to her chin as she focused her attention to the television.

"Why don't you tell him that yourself, 'Rena? I'm sure he'd be much happier hearing it from you." Andrew turned his head briefly as he replied. "He said he'd call us at about one or two o'clock tomorrow afternoon, as soon as he got to his new apartment."

"I… "Serena hesitated, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson in deep embarrassment. "I left a really angry message on his phone, telling him that I'm not talking to him anymore. I'm still mad at him for leaving without telling me." Serena mumbled as her fingers idly played with the new charm on her bracelet. "…But I'm happy he's following his dreams."

* * *

. . .

Sooo… I'm a little disappointed with how that chapter turned out. I don't feel as though it was sad enough. Anywho, let me know what you thought, and I'll update again within the fortnight =)

_**Crystal Saturn**_

PS – Darien will be back soonish.


	34. The Legend of the Moon Kingdom

It's been a few whirlwind months, and I haven't had the time to write lately. It's 4am here and I haven't edited this chapter, but I'm posting it up as it is even though it's a little disjointed, because otherwise, I fear it may be another month before I put anything up.. and I've kept you all waiting long enough as it is.

_**A BIG THANK YOU to: **_Blue Moon, Sunshine, KatFantastico, Guest, lyss010387, shezzeth, Flpirate305, Plush Turtle, Guest, Sussie, kitsunegirl48, Anne, Moonstarbunny, devilshapples, Kayla, trish1573, Miss Katrina Malfoy, Jaylonni Love, asdfghjklalala, moon86, H. Wales, kbtjmandy, Miss Moon Rose, smfan4ever72, vievere, Twiggirl006, SailorMoon489, KittyKat, Nich31, LoveInTheBattleField, jessicanicoleharp, Perfect Beauty, devilsangels11287, Kelly, Nancy67, kera69love, natashasurgirl, DragonLadyRelena, SmTwilight _**and **_MinnieMoosi _**for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

_[This chapter is dedicated to my dear_ **natashasurgirl**. _Congratulations on your beautiful new bundle of joy. Brooklyn, may your life be filled with beauty, love and hope.]_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter: **34 – The Legend of the Moon Kingdom

Darien spent his first night in Boston unpacking. He had rented an apartment room near the university campus. Due to jet lag, he found himself completely sleepless at 4am in the morning and feeling rather hungry, since it would have been dinner time in Japan.

His mind couldn't help but wander back to Serena. He wondered how she was; if she was healing well; if she was thinking of him. Of course she was thinking of him. He had played her voicemail message twenty two times. The first three times he played it, he was trying to decipher her screechy, teary message. The next nineteen times were simply to hear her voice.

As Darien sat back on his beanbag and looked about the minimally furnished apartment, he couldn't help but feel sad. It was strange. For most of his life, he was alone and he liked it that way. Yes, he had spend a large portion of his adult life so far living with Andrew and a number of other housemates, but for the most part they were all almost always out, studying or working. When Serena moved in, things changed. Mealtimes were no longer spent alone, there was almost always someone to watch movies with, and her laughter often echoed through the apartment.

He missed that the most; the sound of her laughter. The way her eyes lit up every time she smiled- which was often. Her cute little pout every time he poked fun of her. The way her eyebrows furrowed together whenever she was vexed at him. The lost, vacant look every time he asked her to explain her work for a math equation. He missed walking her home from work. Letting her win at video games every now and then. Using any excuse possible to touch her. He missed her.

Darien paced from the kitchen, over to the couch where he sat down for a moment and turned the television on. Infomercials, sitcom reruns, more infomercials. Feeling frustrated, he turned the television off once again and decided that he'd simply walk around the apartment, searching for something to do. This occupied him for the better half of 7 minutes, before the silence in the apartment became so deafeningly unbearable that he snatched the television remote from the coffee table and turned the T.V on again. Throwing himself back onto the couch, he stared up at the ceiling and watched as the blades of his ceiling fan turned ever so slowly, creaking rhythmically as they did. He studied the patterns on the skirting board of the ceiling once he was bored of that. Plaster swirls and floral embellishments. He was going crazy, and it was only the first night away. Picking up the telephone, he dialled the number of the apartment back in Japan, only to hang up before the call connected. She didn't want to talk to him. She wanted space and to be away from him. He had somehow hurt her the last time they kissed, and this time apart would probably be for the best… maybe.

It was going to be a long two years.

* * *

Weeks had passed with no news from Darien, apart from a brief email telling Andrew that he had arrived safely. Perhaps it was due to the way he had abruptly left that made him wary of calling home.

_Ring ring, ring ring._

"Hello?" Serena reached for the phone. The melodic tune of her voice made him smile on the other end of the line.

"Heeeey, Dumpling Head!" Although he sounded incredibly flat and tired, the ever so slightly smug tone in his voice made her hang up.

"Who was that?" Andrew looked up from his bread dough.

"Tele-marketer." Serena shrugged simply.

_Ring ring, ring ring._

"Hello?" Serena answered once again, much in the same manner even though she had a feeling she knew who the caller was.

"Why'd you hang up on me?" _Click_. Serena hung up without responding, the tiniest smirk of satisfaction spread across her lips.

"Those Tele-marketers sure are persistent..." The petite blonde fluttered her eyelashes, feigning innocence as Andrew raised a curious eyebrow toward her.

_Ring ring, ring ring._

"Ahoy-hoy?" Serena nibbled on her bottom lip in an attempt to suppress her smile.

"Come on, Dumpling, I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was going. Please don't hang up, I haven't had the chance to go out and get any calling cards yet so these calls are costing me 300 yen just to connect-" _click._

"That's Darien, isn't it?" Andrew gave a slight disapproving frown as he snatched the phone away from the coy, smirking Serena, who simply shrugged her shoulders once more and walked away to her room.

_Ring ring, ring ring._

"DUMPLING HEAADDD, I'M SOR-"

"Yo, It's me." Andrew interrupted Darien's loud, desperate apology. "Rena says she refuses to talk to you."

"Is she_ still_ really _that_ mad at me for not telling her I was leaving?" Darien leaned back in his chair. "It's been almost a week! Sorry for not calling sooner, by the way. I'm still trying to get settled in. The time difference is really throwing me off."

"It's fine, and I don't think it's too bad. 'Rena told me to tell you that she was happy you're living out your dreams." Andrew cleaned his hands on his apron and paused to allow his words to sink in. He knew that at that point, hearing those words would make Darien regret his decision to leave without telling Serena, and Andrew wanted his best friend to suffer a little for it. "She says that, but I know she misses you." The blond man continued to add salt to the wound, "Sailor Moon sure missed Tuxedo Mask the other night."

"W-was she hurt?" Darien's posture straightened as he inched closer to the edge of his seat. "Was it bad? Is she OK?"

"It was pretty close to the same place she was hit a few nights ago, apparently she was distracted because she was calling out for you, expecting Tuxedo Mask to help her." Andrew wasn't going to let up any time soon. "It doesn't look any worse than before, but seems to be healing a lot slower."

"Did you use the burn cream?" Darien cringed as his stomach churned, drowning him in guilt. It was all his fault. He had managed to hurt her again.

"Yes, but I'm sure she would have much preferred it if _you_ had applied it for her, Dr. Darien." By this time, Andrew could just about hear the silent guilt pouring from every fibre of Darien's being. He didn't have to say much at all, his friend was fully aware of which buttons to push. "She doesn't seem to be responding as well this time around. It seems as though she's in need of your healing hands."

"Heh…" Darien's gaze travelled down his hands, which glowed slightly with a warm, faint aura. "Healing hands, hmm?" Try as he might, Darien couldn't quash the painful feeling of helplessness and guilt. "I know what you're trying to do, Drew."

"Do?" Andrew shrugged as though his friend could somehow see it through the phone. "Who's doing anything?" He continued to feign innocence.

"You're purposefully trying to make me feel guilty for leaving Sere without telling her." Darien ran his fingers through his jet black hair casually. "But what you don't get, is just how bad I'm feeling right now, Drew."

"Oh, I think I have a pretty good ide-"

"No, you don't," Darien chuckled at himself in a bitterly sardonic manner. "You see, I'm in love with your cousin, and I didn't realise just how much I would actually miss her until I had flown myself half a world away from her, to spend two years in a foreign country."

There was a long silence from Andrew, before he sighed in to the phone. "Well, at least you've admitted it now. It's good to have it all out in the open."

"I haven't… really told her yet…" Darien murmured before a heavy thud could be heard on Andrew's end of the line. The blond man assumed it was his friend smacking his head on the desk.

"Well, you've waited this long. I recommend not telling her until you see her next. The least you can do now is tell her how you feel to her face."

"I guess…" Darien sighed dejectedly. "It's not like I can tell her over the phone anyway. She's not talking to me."

"Perhaps not, but we can't blame her, can we?" Andrew counselled. "But do you know what? She really misses you too. Hang in there, buddy." The blond man strolled over to his laptop, bringing up a screenshot of weather forecast of the previous month for Boston. "Just one last question before I let you go…"

"Mhmm?" Darien hummed into the phone.

"How's the weather been? Has it been raining much over there?"

"Yeah, it's been raining every day since I got here, with the occasional thunderstorm. Apparently they've been having pretty unseasonal weather hear lately." Darien glanced out the window, watching the endless sheets of rain falling from the heavens.

"Hmmm" Andrew mused to himself, looking at the monthly weather charts. _Partly cloudy_ was the forecast for most of the month, with clear skies and sunshine predicted from the week that Darien arrived, instead Boston was inundated with spring storms and heavy rain. "Freaky symbiotic relationship with the Earth… Curiouser and curiouser."

"What was that?" Darien queried, not quite catching on to Andrew's strange incoherent ramblings,

"Nothing, Captain Planet… but for the sake of the beautiful non-flooded City of Boston. Unless you want to turn it into the next Venice, I would recommend cheering the heck up."

* * *

"I wonder if Andrew knows that there's a secret basement level to the arcade." Lita ducked her head as she descended down the stairs hidden beneath the Sailor V game.

"-And that his cousin's cat is using it as a base headquarters for Sailor Soldier business." Mina added.

Rei sneezed loudly, rubbing her sensitive nose, "When was the last time he cleaned behind here?"

"Owwoww!" Serena yanked on one of her ponytails as it became snagged behind the game machine.

"Why does it smell like tuna down here?" Rei added, looking around the HQ computer room.

"Luna and I have been couped up in this cellar for months now, researching the Moon Princess and how to find her." Artemis leaped up to one of the computers and pawed in a password. "We get hungry sometimes."

"So, what have you found?" Ami pulled up another chair beside Artemis, seemingly intrigued at the articles on the screen.

"Our research has uncovered a number of things." Luna flicked her tail back and forth as she spoke. "There are numerous legends spanning the existence of written history that suggest there was once a Kingdom on the Moon. Some say that they were a race of beings, similar to humans. Others state that they were god-like deities which possessed powerful magic. There is one legend in particular which caught our interest."

"This story is by far the oldest, and the only one to mention the Moon Princess." Artemis brought up his sources of information on the widescreen. "Legend states that a grand Kingdom once stood by the Sea of Serenity on the Moon, in a peaceful time known as the Silver Millennium. The ruling monarch at the time, Queen Serenity, forged an alliance with the young Earth Kingdom of the time, and swore to protect and help the inhabitants of Earth."

"It is here that the story starts to get a little foggy, with various different sources diverging into different tales. Some say the Princess of the Moon strayed into the communications room of her castle one day and mistakenly teleported down to Earth, others say she had accompanied her mother to Earth as part of political talks, either way, a forbidden love was forged between the Princess of the Moon and the Prince of the Earth."

"Forbidden?" Serena tilted her head curiously.

"Those of Lunarian blood were sworn to protect the Earth." Artemis informed, "Many Millennia before, a similar love blossomed between a maiden of the Moon and a Shepard of the Earth. The long lifespan of those who lived on the Moon meant that she, unfortunately, was destined to watch him die. Although the gravity of the Earth weakened her, she bore a child with him. This child possessed powers that those on Earth had never seen before. Fearing what they didn't know, civil unrest broke out and a war between the Earth and the Moon almost destroyed both races. Ever since then, it was forbidden for a Terran and a Lunarian to ever form a romantic relationship."

"So what happened to the Moon Princess and Earth Prince?" Serena pressed on.

"They were unable to hide their liaisons and news of their romantic involvement was discovered by a powerful Earth sorceress called Beryl." Luna explained before Artemis interjected.

"Some say that Beryl was a jilted lover, others say she was once betrothed to the Earth Prince." The white cat continued with his image slideshow. "Either way, she cast a powerful spell that slowly poisoned the minds of the people of the Earth, exposing the forbidden love and once again turning the Earth against the Moon."

"On the eve of the attack, Endymion, the prince of the Earth gave Princess Serenity a locket as a symbol of their love and a promise that they would someday wed. The Princess's guardians were called into battle, but Beryl's spell had feasted on the malice and hatred in the hearts of men, turning them into corrupted, powerful soldiers hell-bent on destroying the Moon. The guardians fell and the kingdom was lost. The Prince of the Earth lost his life in a futile attempt to save his love. The Princess of the Moon was killed before her mother's own eyes." Artemis continued, "Queen Serenity, exhausted from trying to protect her broken kingdom, knew that her waning power was no match for Beryl, and so used the last of the Silver Crystal's power to seal away Beryl. The fallen Prince, Princess and her guardians were also sealed away, to be awoken when the time came, to once again protect the Earth."

Luna paced back and forth, seemingly nervous with of anticipation of news or impending action. "The time has come. Beryl has awakened, and so have the Princess's guardians, but we can't defeat Beryl without the power of the Silver Crystal, and the only one who can wield it; the Moon Princess." Luna turned to her feline companion, who brought up another set of images. "Descriptions and sketches of the locket have been seen over the course of history, and we think that if we find the locket, then perhaps we'll find leads to the Princess or the Prince."

Serena reached into her pocket and slowly pulled out her precious keepsake. "This locket?" She held the item out gingerly in the palm of her hand.

"Serena, that's it!" Luna's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you-?"

"Tuxedo Mask dropped it in battle a while ago." The blonde girl sighed inwardly. Darien and her hypotheses about his identity were coming true.

Mina piped up enthusiastically from the back corner of the room, "We have to find him and see if he knows anything about the Moon Princess."

"He does." Serena sat down, swinging on her swivel chair to distract herself from the inevitable conclusion. "Sort of…. At least, we think he does. He's been having dreams of her ever since he was a child."

"So, Tuxedo Mask must be the Earth Prince reincarnated." Artemis was the first to verbalise Serena's heart wrenching thoughts. "We have to find him again. Perhaps he knows the whereabouts of the Moon Princess."

"He doesn't remember who she is or what she looks like." Serena's mouth seemed to be running on automatic, as her mind was elsewhere, contemplating the irony of another forbidden love in this millennia-long story. "He doesn't even know about the legend."

"How do you know all this?" Ami watched as Serena's eyes glazed over briefly. "We don't even know the identity of Tuxedo Mask."

"I know this because Tuxedo Mask; the man that we've just discovered is the Earth Prince, is currently on the other side of the Pacific Ocean studying at Harvard University." Serena braced herself for the oncoming barrage of questions. "The Prince of the Earth is Darien."

. . .

"Alright," Serena opened the apartment door slowly, letting the four waiting girls and their two feline companions into the apartment. "Andy's at work, so we've got at least 3 hours. Please try not to shed any fur. Luna, Artemis… that means you." She led them into Darien's bedroom. "Make sure everything goes back exactly where it was. He's a clean freak."

"Nice room..." Mina whistled as she walked in and immediately threw herself onto the queen size bed.

"Mina, we're snooping, not napping." Artemis scolded. "You can sleep when we get back home."

"I'll look in his closet" As Mina rummaged through his sock drawer, she squealed, throwing a box half way across the room, hitting Artemis in the head.

"What is it? What did you find?" Luna's ears pricked up at the sound of Mina's exclamations.

Artemis glanced down at the box, eyeing it down briefly. "It looks like a box of condoms."

"Seriously, Mina?" Rei rolled her eyes as she picked up the box, turning it over a number of times to check it. "You're meant to be the reincarnation of the Goddess of Love, and you screech like crazy at the sight of condoms?"

"Yeah well, in this life, _this_ Goddess of Love is still a virgin, okay?" Mina blushed profusely, lifting her hands up in an attempt to hide her glowing cheeks.

"Well, at least we know he plays it safe…" Lita turned her attention toward an uncomfortable looking Serena.

"But the box is unopened." Rei added, pointing to the tamperproof seal.

"Maybe they're ornamental." Ami shrugged.

"What, like… Christmas baubles? Why the heck would anybody have an ornamental box of condoms tucked away in his sock drawer?" The raven haired priestess casually strolled over to Serena, who was busy trying to look as though she was occupied and unaffected. "A more likely reason would be that he hasn't had the chance to use them yet." Rei nudged Serena playfully. The girls giggled quietly as Serena slumped lower and lower into the large executive desk chair.

Luna noticed Serena's discomfort on the topic and chose this opportune moment to refocus everybody's attention. "Girls… can we just put them away?"

"Yeah, Rei." Serena blew a raspberry at her friend. "Put them back and go back to looking for whatever it is we're supposed to be looking for"

"I feel like we're breaking some sort of law… like the Geneva Convention or something…"Mina held the box delicately with her index finger and thumb, trying to make as little contact as possible as she shoved it back into Darien's sock drawer.

"Mina…" Ami began, but soon realised that there was not much point in correcting the girl. "Never mind." She shook her head.

"Serena?" Luna hopped up onto the study desk and watched as the blonde teen laid out the handful of post it notes out one by one. "Did you find something?"

"I-I don't..." Serena read each note as she lined them up. "I'm not sure…"

[She feels like Minestrone soup for dinner]

[Pick up chocolates for Serena]

[Help Sere with her Chemistry homework]

[Her birthday's coming up – 30th June]

[Try to compliment her more]

[Plan Sere's Christmas Presents]

[Stop thinking about her]

[Tell her I'm leaving for Boston]

[Don't fall in love with Serena]

[Give up the princess. You're in love]

**Darien's NY Resolution List (Draft)  
**1. Collect as many of the 7 Rainbow Crystals I can  
2. Find the Moon Princess  
3. Discover what my dreams mean.  
4. Reveal the identity of Tuxedo Mask to Sailor Moon.  
5. Kiss Serena again.

"Wow…" Ami scanned each sticky note briefly, reading them from over Serena's shoulder. "He really thought about you a lot."

"Did he ever talk to you about any of this?" Lita wrapped a comforting arm around Serena's shoulders.

"I guess so…" Serena hesitated, thinking back to the night when both she and Darien had confessed their feelings for one another. "We both came to the conclusion that we seem to be attracted to each other because we were both once close to the Moon Princess; with me as her guardian, and him as her… lover." Serena sucked in another deep breath to try to recompose herself. "So, I guess it's like our past selves are calling out to each other."

"That's it?" Mina raised an eyebrow.

"That's it." Serena shrugged in response, clearly feeling dejected.

"It's an excellent theory." Luna attempted to encourage the teenager into believing it was all for the best.

Rei picked up one post it note in particular, handing it to Serena. "I would probably agree, if it weren't for one kinda biggish detail- he's in love with _you_."

"He can't be." Luna retorted. "Serena is below his post and ranking. For them to have a relationship together would be-"

"What, Luna?" Serena interrupted, rising to her feet in her own defense. "_Forbidden_?" She snorted in derision. "I know. I knew it even before we confirmed his suspicion about being the almighty Prince of the Earth."

"-_Unprofessional_." Luna corrected. "Not to mention a possible hindrance and delay to finding the Moon Princess." She added. "I didn't say you couldn't have feelings for one another, I merely thought that it may be unwise to do so, especially considering we're so close to finding the Moon Princess."

"I know he's Darien, and has been living under the same roof as you, 'Rena, but are we even sure we can trust Tuxedo Mask? I mean, he's been chasing after the rainbow crystals too, right?" Lita mused.

"I trust Darien." Serena responded without a hint of hesitation.

"But he left without even telling you. That's pretty cold…" Rei added quietly. "And a whole lot suspicious. He may have had feelings for you, but he's still after those crystals and the princess too."

Serena silently turned and walked out of the room, only to return moments later, holding the wooden box that was hidden beneath her mattress. Mina snatched the note attached to the box before Serena could protest. Opening the box, Serena revealed three of the rainbow crystals. "He could have taken mine, instead he left me his two crystals."

"I'm… just going to go use the bathroom" Mina interrupted the tense moment, ducking out the bedroom. She swiftly paced past the bathroom, and headed in to the kitchen where, on the fridge, sat Darien's new telephone number. She quickly punched the number in to her phone, saving it before heading back.

* * *

Later that night, Serena retired to her room, laying back on her soft bed to rest. She closed her heavy eyelids, recalling her last fleeting thoughts being of Darien, before she surrendered to the beckoning lullaby of slumber.

He appeared before her, veiled in an ultra-white glow. He was dressed in a white suit, surrounded by a long white cape, pinned to his shoulders with golden clasps. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. She took a calculated step towards him, the sound of her heel clicking on the marble drew his attention. A gentle smile graced his features as he stared up at her through his bangs.

"Darien..." Her voice seemed strangely disembodied.

"Hey..." His smile turned into a mirth-filled grin as he acknowledged her greeting, skipping toward her swiftly before wrapping his arms around her shoulders in a tight hug. "I've missed you, Dumpling." Her heart tugged once again at the sound of his voice affectionately calling her by her nickname. She almost protested the sudden lack of warmth as he abruptly pulled away, but noticed the intense look within his midnight blue eyes as he lifted a gloved hand to her cheek, gently caressing it before leaning his head down closer. She could smell his cologne and she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as her lips tingled, brushing up against his. Before she could relish in the feeling of his warm lips against hers, a sharp piercing pain surged through her body and she cried out in agony.

Serena's eyes shot open to find a similar expression of alarm on Darien's face. He groaned, lifting up a blood soaked hand. Serena's gaze immediately fell toward the growing crimson stain at the front of his abdomen and her breath hitched at the back of her throat. Both she and Darien were impaled on the same broadsword. She tried to gasp for air but all that she could manage was a sickening gurgling sound as the blood filled her lungs and she began to choke.

Her choking fits violently roused Serena out of her dream and she sat up in bed, feeling her nose seeping with fluid. Tears cascaded from her eyes as she clasped her hands over her nose and ran to the bathroom. The minutes it took for her to realise that it was all a dream passed like hours as the residual feeling of pain and anxiety slowly washed away with the blood in the sink.

"What the hell was that?" Serena shook her head, trying to dissolve the all-too-real feelings as she stared at her shaken reflection in the bathroom mirror.

* * *

. . .

I'll try to get the next chapter out asap! Love you all!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	35. Mina's Intervention A Shared Dream?

Here's a new chapter- because it's 5am and I should be writing up my assignment instead... Thank the procrastination gods for this chapter, guys! Without my compulsive need to self-sabotage and procrastinate, you wouldn't be reading this... haha!

_**Thanks to:**_ catty, MOON, jessicanicoleharp, Twiggirl006, Haartemis, natalia, Jinxy, Blue Moon, lyss010387, smfan4ever72, KHLostEmpress, PrincessAnnastacia, mari3all3n, Lady Airly, Miss Moon Rose, Ellesia, kbtjmandy, DragonLadyRelena, LoveInTheBattleField, kera69love, trish1573, dayfreshie, natashasurgirl, amethysth, SailorMoon489, Nancy67, **Laurelya** _(Merci beaucoup pour votre revue fantastique!)_, sazbelle _**and**_ Diana000 _**for reviewing the previous chapter**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 35 – Mina's Intervention. A Shared Dream?

.

"_At times you have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself."_  
[― Alan Alda]

.

_Ring Ring, Ring Ring_

"Ugh… hello?" Darien partially groaned into his phone as he answered it. He rubbed his bleary eyes and squinted in an attempt to focus his pupils on the time, hanging from some sort of blurry, ticking object on the wall.

"Hey, you!" The bubbly sounding female voice giggled on the other end of the line.

"Sere? Is that you?" In an instant, Darien had sobered completely and was up on his feet. All thoughts of crawling back under the covers were banished from his mind.

"No, silly. It's Mina!" The girl pouted, as though she were offended that he did not somehow clearly distinguish between the two girls over the phone.

"Oh…" Darien did little to hide the disappointment in his voice. "Mina…" He repeated as he slumped back into his bed. "Why are you calling me at 3 in the morning?"

"Is it really that late over there?" A sudden wave of guilt washed over the blonde girl. "I'm_ so_ sorry, I didn't think it'd be that late. It's only 4PM here."

"You _do_ know how the Earth works, right?" The dark haired man cringed at how mean he was sounding at that moment, but somehow managed to rationalise it all in his mind. She had, after all, woken him up in the middle of the night. "It's big, and round, and has time zones…"

"Yes…" Mina hissed in retaliation. "I know that much at least." Her drawn out tone of annoyance seemed typical of a girl her age, talking on the telephone. "Sheesh, someone's a grumpy bum in the morning!"

"Mina…" Darien's tone warned. "What is it you want? And how did you even get my number?"

"I have a bedtime story that I wanted to tell you." The bubbly teen began, trying to hide her excitement by attempting to sound mysterious. "Have you heard the tale of the Palace on the Moon?"

"I don't have the time or the patience for this right now. I'm hanging up, Min-"

"No, wait wait wait!" Mina interjected. "Okay, I'll cut to the chase. There was once a Kingdom on the Moon-"

"Impossible. There's no oxygen and very little atmosphere, so-"

"Let me finish!" Mina interrupted her interrupter. "Gosh... Lame... Anyway- This Moon Kingdom looked after the unified Kingdom of the Earth. The Prince of the Earth and Princess of the Moon fell in love even though it was forbidden. A war broke out, everyone died, it was all really tragic; I almost shed a tear, but then the Moon Queen bottled everyone up in a magic time capsule thingy and sent us all to the future."

"This better be worth my lost REM cycle-"

"Ugh, really? That wasn't exciting enough? Seriously, what do you and Serena even have to talk about?!" Mina rolled her eyes, listening for Darien's exasperated sigh before continuing. "Okay, fine. Here's the kicker, right? It turns out, we think that that bedtime story is actually real, and you're the Prince of the Earth, reborn in this lifetime." Mina finally got to the point. "We're still looking for the Moon Princess, but since we've found you, she couldn't be too far away."

"'_We_'? Who do you mean by 'we'?" Darien slowly sat up in bed again. "Wait, who's the Prince of the _what_. now?"

"Sailor Soldier intelligence." Mina responded vaguely. "We know you're Tuxie Boy, and we know you gave 'Rena the star locket."

"I don't know if getting all your information from _Serena_ counts as '_intelligence_'." Darien murmured quietly. "Go back to where you said I was the Prince of the Earth. Are you sure about this?"

"98 percent sure." Mina nodded her head. "Judging by the research Luna and Artemis have put in to finding the princess, and the information that Serena gave us about your dreams, we're all pretty confident it's you." The blonde girl listened intently as the line went quiet. After a few more moments of silence, she wondered if he was still there. "Darien?"

"Yeah…" His voice seemed flat and carried a tone of disappointment.

"Is that not awesome news?" Mina asked cautiously.

"No… not really." Darien sighed, resting his face against the palm of his hand. "It means I can't be with Serena after all." His feelings of dejection slowly began to give way to frustration. "Mina, when I left Tokyo, I gave up my search for the Moon Princess, thinking that that was something I had a say in. But now you're telling me that my fate is pretty much sealed. I'm the Prince of the Earth, sent here from the past to relive my destiny with some unknown Moon Princess."

"Darien, I know this might sound like trespassing-" Mina began, before being interrupted.

"-Do you mean 'treason'?"

"Whatever!" Mina huffed. "Look, I'm only saying what everyone else is thinking. Destiny's a funny thing. It wouldn't have brought you and Serena together if you weren't somehow meant to be. You two are good together, there's no denying that. So I say '_screw destiny'_, maybe you were sent to the future to correct a mistake made in the past. Maybe this is your second chance." The blonde teen channeled her inner goddess of love. "History states that the Moon Princess needs to awaken for the final battle against the Dark Kingdom, but it doesn't say your relationship has to pick up where it left off."

"If the Princess awakens, her presence will awaken the spirit of the Earth Prince, right?" Darien offered a counter argument, "What if all my memories and feelings for her awaken as well?"

"Well, I guess you'll have to weigh up your thousand-year-old feelings for the princess, against the ones you have for Serena right now." Mina reasoned, "Either way, it's for you to decide. But seeing you and 'Rena together, I don't think the Moon Princess could blame you for wanting to start again."

Darien nodded his head silently before frowning slightly, realising that she had some very valid points. "This talk has been strangely encouraging, Mina."

"Great! Thanks!... I think." Mina hesitated for a moment, wondering if she could hear sarcasm from seven thousand miles away. "I'll call again soon to check up on you and give you an update on the situation."

"Thanks." Darien felt the conversation winding down and knew that this was probably the best time to ask the question that was eating away at his mind. "Hey, Mina?"

"Mhmm?" She responded almost instantly.

"How is she?"

The blonde teen paused in thought as she weighed up her response, wanting it to be honest, yet not too hurtful. "She's pretty cut up about you being the Prince. I think she has the same thoughts as you, running through her mind." Mina confessed, "She's putting on a brave face, but I think she really misses you. I don't think she feels it's appropriate to talk about it though."

"Mina," She could hear his voice straining as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "I don't want her to give up on me… on us."

Mina drew in a deep breath. She could sense he was hurting. She could detect it in his tone and the way he asked about her, but what could she do? He was half a world away and Serena winced like a skewer pierced her flesh every time his name was even mentioned. Regardless, she was still the embodiment of love, and it pained her to see her friends so far apart, and yet still longing for one another. She sighed gently at the thought of their dilemma, "I'll do what I can."

* * *

Serena woke up that Saturday morning to the sound of Darien's laughter filtering down the hallway. She sat up in bed, and rubbed her eyes, straining her ears, trying to check if she was mistaken or not. There was a faint murmur of conversation. She could make out the sound of Andrew's voice whenever he spoke, but what she could also hear was the distinct prosody, tones and vocal contours of her former housemate. Rising out of bed, she slowly opened her room door and cautiously padded her way down the hallway.

"-It really is such a great campus. It's so full of energy, and everyone's pretty friendly here. The semester hasn't officially started yet, so the campus is still pretty quiet, but as you know, postgrads don't really have semesters... so I've been in the lab and have already met my supervisors. They were a little startled when I told them I was starting my PhD at the age of 21-"

She wasn't mistaken, she could hear his voice clearly now. Her heart began to beat wildly in her chest as she slowly made her way to the edge of the living room. She saw Andrew first, facing the television screen, and it took her half a second to realise that he was having a video call. Waving her hands and shaking her head, she motioned to Andrew not to acknowledge her presence. Slowly, she made her way around the outskirts of the living room area so she could see him, yet eagerly tried her best not to be detected by the webcam.

There he was; face and torso on the big screen television, enthusiastically talking about how he was settling down and getting to know the area. He looked happy, and Serena began to feel guilty that a part of her wished he would still be a little miserable.

Darien noticed a fleeting distracted expression wash over Andrew's face as he spoke. A second later, he could see Serena tip-toeing toward the back corner of the room, before turning around to watch him. She had clearly underestimated the range of the webcam.

"So, how's everything at home?" Darien asked just as Serena moved out of the range of the camera, presumably to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. As soon as Serena had her back turned, Andrew subtly tapped the camera, realigning it to partially face the kitchen, so Darien could see. The dark haired man struggled to hide his smirk. His best friend had his back.

"Oh… you know…" Andrew shrugged, leaning back on the couch. "It's all much the same here."

"How's Serena?" Darien asked and watched as the petite blonde froze in her tracks at the sound of her name, and put her cereal bowl down.

"She's…" Andrew glanced over briefly. Serena's eyes were glazed over, seemingly deep in thought as she stared at man on the screen. "She's good." Andrew added simply. "She's determined more than ever now to become a nurse, and has taken your advice to enroll in Biology class. She's also volunteering at the hospital… which is keeping her plenty busy."

"That's really great to hear." Darien's small smile gave way to a slightly playful grin. "Does she ask about me?"

"Uh-" Andrew chuckled slightly before being interrupted by Serena's hushed whispered protests.

"Drew-" She hissed quietly, trying to gain his attention. He glanced over to see Serena, frowning deeply and waving her hands about frantically like a maniac, trying to indicate that she would chop his head off if he said anything even remotely close to 'yes'.

"Uh, no… no she doesn't, man." Andrew lied, suppressing his laughter, knowing that Darien could see her clearly.

"Oh…" Darien feigned a hurt expression. "That's a little disappointing, especially considering I can't stop thinking about her."

The ease at which he let that line slip made Serena drop her spoon with a loud clatter.

"Boston's a really beautiful city. I really wish I could show it to her." Darien added. "There are so many places I'd like to take her one day… but it all seems so lonely without someone to share your experiences with."

"Yeah, I know how it feels. Reika is always jet-setting all over the world, discovering new archaeological digs. She says it doesn't compare to the feeling of coming home though." Andrew sympathised.

"I won't lie… it's hard." Darien absentmindedly ran his fingers through his dark hair. "I'm pretty miserable sometimes and it's made even harder because... I can feel when she transforms. I know when Sailor Moon is in a fight, but I have no idea if she's okay. I'm not used to not being able to protect her if anything goes wrong. It terrifies me."

Serena meekly walked over to the couch and sat down beside Andrew. "Hey…" She greeted the screen, feeling oddly nervous.

"Sere…" Darien smiled warmly. His plan had worked. She was talking to him again.

"I'm still not talking to you yet…" The blonde teen frowned slightly and pouted. "I just wanted to say 'hi', and to see if you were settling in okay."

"I'm… managing." He shot her a genuine smile, and Serena felt her heart begin to melt at the sight. Her face began to grow warm with a faint blush as she watched him smiling back at her. Nibbling on her bottom lip, a few moments of silent admiration passed before she caught herself practically gawking, and she swiftly jumped to her feet before he was given the opportunity (and satisfaction) of seeing her cheesily smiling back.

"Good." She stammered awkwardly. "That's good." She repeated before bowing toward the screen in a strange display of polite respect. "I- That's all I wanted to know. I'll be going now. Still not talking to you." And just like that, she bolted back down the hallway and locked herself up in her bedroom.

Andrew waited until he was sure Serena was out of earshot before he let out a small laugh. "She's gone."

"Drew, I know this is asking a lot, but seriously, man… take my place." Darien slipped from the couch on to his knees, clasping his hands together desperately. "I don't want to be the Prince of the Earth. I'll trade destinies with you."

"I don't think that's how it works, buddy." Andrew shrugged helplessly. "If only 'Rena _was_ the Moon Princess. That would fix everything up."

"There's no possible way… could there?" Darien's voice trailed away as he played around with the thought in his mind. "No, she couldn't be." He answered his own question decisively. "She's the princess's head guardian, and leader of the Sailor Senshi."

"Yeah, I suppose not." Andrew nodded his head in agreement. "It would be incredibly risky to be throwing the Princess into battle night after night, searching for herself, wouldn't it?"

"I'm screwed." Darien dropped his head in his hands in dismay.

"I don't see what the big deal is." Andrew frowned slightly. "Since when did you even believe in things like fate or destiny, let alone allow it to rule your life?"

Darien slumped back, seemingly exhausted. "Logic and reasoning fly out the window when you can conjure roses and transform in the blink of an eye." He sighed for the umpteenth time. "But you're right. None of this has any sway over how I feel right now. I'm going to grovel and beg and do whatever it takes to make things right with Serena again."

"Good, good. But don't forget to focus on your studies while you're there, otherwise this whole distance apart thing would have been heartache for nothing." Andrew reminded.

"Will do," Darien nodded, understanding. "Anyway, it's getting late here, I'm going to sign off, and hopefully Mina won't call me again tonight."

* * *

"Artemis," Luna pawed her computer screen, turning it toward the white feline. "Are you sure this data is correct?"

"Yes, Luna. I checked it myself last night." Artemis walked over from his newspaper archives. "Why?"

"There are a few discrepancies." Luna tapped her keyboard, bringing up other articles and research. "In all of the legends, it states that the Moon Princess only had four guardians. This is consistent with the data you've presented on the Moon Wand's Silver Millennium energy detection readings, but the energy readings only account for fifteen spirits."

"If seven are reincarnated with fragments of the rainbow crystal, two spirits account for you and I…" Artemis tallied up the data, "One represents the Earth Prince, One represents the Moon Princess, then the remaining four…" Artemis stumbled on his words as he tried to make sense of the readings. "There are only four signature energy readings for the five guardians… that can't be right."

"Can you detect which energy signature is unaccounted for?" Luna watched her companion expertly tap the modified computer keys.

"That's the strange thing." Artemis frowned. "Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus… and Moon. All energy signatures match."

Luna furrowed her brows, deep in thought. A long moment paused before she spoke once more, "Are there two Moon signatures?"

Artemis stared at his data spread sheet, trying hard to decipher the differences in the energy spikes. "It's hard to say… but it looks like there isn't."

"What does that mean?" Luna slowly began to fit together bits and pieces of the metaphoric puzzle before her. Darien was the Earth Prince reincarnated. In his previous life, the Earth Prince gave the star locket to the Moon Princess as a symbol of their love. In this life, Tuxedo Mask gave it to Sailor Moon, and in this life, both Serena and Darien had fallen in love with one another. There was only one energy signature representing the spirit of the Moon, and only reports of four Lunarian guardians. Her fur stood on end as realisation dawned upon her. It seemed too convenient, yet the evidence was too strong to deny.

Artemis leant back on his hind legs as he tried to make sense of the situation. "Either the Princess wasn't reincarnated…"

The idea seemed absurd at first, but the more Luna thought about it, the more she couldn't shake the feeling that both she and Artemis had discovered something big. "-Or we've already found her."

* * *

Serena watched the second hand ticking around the classroom clock. 2:13:15... 16... 17... Science had never been her strong suit. She could never really get her head around the concept of how the structure of something as small as a molecule could be known. It was something that she had to get used to, however, if she was going to successfully study the medical sciences.

She sniffled, feeling her nose seeping with fluid. A metallic taste coated the back of her throat and she lifted her fingers to her nose, pulling it away to reveal blood. In an instant, her eyes were blinded by a white hot flash of light before it faded back to normal. The petite blonde looked down at her fingers. Oddly enough, they were clean; not a trace of blood to be seen. She glanced up at the time again.

29...30...31...3-

The second hand stopped ticking. Serena turned her head to look around at the rest of the room. Something wasn't right. It was as though time had completely stopped. Students were frozen in their seats, the teacher's mouth gaped in mid-sentence. Even the birds were completely stationary, suspended in the air outside.

Serena rose to her feet, only to struggle at the feeling of slight constriction. Looking down, she was dressed in a white silk gown. Her desk had vanished. "What in the world is going on?" She lifted her head, only to find her classroom had been completely re-landscaped. She stood beside a large water fountain which towered over her. A bright, unseen light bathed the land with a strange blue glow. Was it night time? Why did the air seem so thin? Where was the moon?

"Princess..." His voice called out to her from behind. As Serena swiveled around, she found herself face to face with a dashing looking Darien. He was dressed in battle armour, or what looked to be a sturdy chest plate, at least.

"Darien?" The silver-haired girl questioned, still surprised and clueless as to what was going on.

"Dumpling?" The armour-clad prince returned her confused expression. It all seemed so surreal. Were people in dreams supposed to sound so sentient and self-aware? Why did he sound almost as confused as she was? "What are you doing here?"

Another blinding light distracted Serena, making it impossible to keep her eyes open. When she did manage to pry her eyelids open once more, she found herself lying on the floor of her classroom surrounded by a number of concerned students and the teacher.

"What happened?" Serena's head was pounding. It was almost like she had a miniature jackhammer lodged somewhere in her brain.

"Your nose started bleeding, so you got up to go to the washroom, but then you fainted." One student informed.

"It was really odd too, just before you passed out, you kept mumbling something about 'needing to warn the Queen' and 'preparing the palace guards'. It looked like you were in your own little world." Another student added.

"We should take you to the infirmary." Ami slowly helped the confused teen up to her feet, with the assistance of Lita.

. . .

Darien's eyes fluttered open and he slowly sat up in bed. "Ugh... I have to stop thinking of Serena as possibly being the Moon Princess..." He shook his head to clear his thoughts of any remnants of the dream he just had. "It's starting to affect my subconscious thoughts, and now I'm dreaming of her too..."

* * *

"Serena? Really?" Artemis paced back and forth across the underground headquarters. "She's the most lacking out of all of the Sailor Soldiers. She lacks in motivation, leadership, strength, intelligence, basic hand-eye coordination…"

"But she's improved leaps and bounds since I first found and recruited her." Luna defended. "Her skills are improving every day. Yes, she still has her lapses in concentration and klutzes out every now and then, but it's been far less concerning lately than it has been before."

"She lacks the grace, charm and refinement of the Princess." Artemis added.

"Princess Serenity had a century to refine her skills and etiquette. Serena's only 16." Luna reminded. It struck her as odd, but she had watched each and every one of her girls grow into their roles and responsibilities, but Serena was her first charge, and the one who had showed the most improvement to date. She hated to admit that she had a favourite, but living with the clumsy, airheaded blonde teen for a while had opened her eyes to Serena's many generous and endearing qualities. "How else would you explain the anomalies in the data and the strange instance of history seeming to repeat itself?"

"There's got to be a reason why you awoke Serena as Sailor Moon and not the princess." Artemis ruminated. "Maybe we have it wrong. Maybe she really isn't the Moon Princess."

"But if she is, then we're putting her at risk every night by needlessly throwing her into the line of fire." The desperation of the situation tugged at Luna's heartstrings. She had previously reprimanded Serena for falling in love, when in all possibility; it could have been their fate. In fact, she may as well have tried to convince the Moon itself to try to escape the orbit of the Earth. "Until we figure out this riddle, we have to make sure to keep all our girls safe."

"That means we can't utter a word about this to them." The white cat warned.

"Not even Serena?" Luna's ears pricked with nervous tension.

"Not even Serena." Artemis reiterated. He knew they were both in a sticky situation. They needed to withhold this vital information for the safety of their wards. "It could jeopardise her safety, especially if we end up being wrong about this. Even if we are right, the Silver Crystal hasn't been found. We'd be painting a target on a sitting duck." He sighed, feeling the burden of their secret weighing heavily on his own heart. "In fact, it would be best if we continued to dissuade Serena from starting a relationship with Darien."

"To save their love and protect their lives, we have to keep them away from each other?" Luna rested her body along the desk. "It just seems too cruel."

"Only until we can find out more... Just enough to stop history from repeating, and to keep the Dark Kingdom from winning this time around." Artemis reassured.

* * *

"Andy, I'm fine... really" Serena sat up, trying to stop her older cousin from fussing over her. He ignored her protests, placing a cold compress on her forehead and pushing her back in to bed.

"You had a nose bleed." Andrew began, "That's a sign that you're _not _okay. You're probably exhausted from all the Moonie butt kicking, work, volunteering and studying you've been doing lately." Turning the compress over, he then proceeded to place another blanket over the teenager, despite the fact that it was a balmy late-Spring evening, and the weather was quite warm. "I understand what you're going through, and I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to keep yourself busy so you don't have time to think about Darien, but you really need to stop running away from the situation and think things through."

"I'm not running away, I'm just-"

"I'm serious, 'Rena." Andrew interrupted, "I've seen you do this before, you know. You didn't deal with your grief, and instead, you put on your shiniest, brightest smile, got yourself a job and soldiered on with life... and then what happened at Christmas time?"

"I broke down-" Serena lowered her head before she was interrupted by her cousin once again.

"You broke down. And now you're working yourself to the bone again, and for what?-" Andrew continued his lecture, vigorously tucking the sheets in tightly around Serena's legs.

"Andy, please! You're smothering me!" Serena pouted, wriggling out of her tucked in sheets to stand at the end of the bed. "I'm fine, I really am. You really don't have to do all this for me. I'm not a little kid, I will deal with my issues in my own time... but not right now. I'm not ready to think about _him_ right now. And besides, it's just a nose bleed. It's not the first time this year..."

"You've been having them too?" Andrew scratched his head in thought. "Is it something in the apartment?"

"Knock knock!" A sing-songy female voice flittered through the air. "The lobby door was open, so I thought I'd let myself in." Mina weaved her way through the apartment and ducked her head into the doorway of Serena's room. "I heard you were ill, so I came to look after you." She smiled, lifting up some take away soup boxes, before frowning slightly and yanking Serena's elbow, dragging her back to bed. "What are you doing up? You should be getting some rest."

"Mina I-" Serena groaned at the thought of yet another overly protective carer trying to tie her to her mattress.

"This came in the mail for you." The ribbon haired blonde handed Serena a letter. "I walked past the mailman downstairs, and he thought I was you." She turned around to face Andrew, thrusting another fat bundle of letters into his hands. "These are for you. I sticky beaked through them all, but they're all boring bills."

"That's... really nice of you, Mina." Andrew could only stand back and watch the whirlwind blonde rush about. "How about we go and prepare some of that soup while 'Rena rests, hmm?" He nodded toward the open door and Mina nodded her head, following him out.

"So..." Andrew waited until they were both in the kitchen and out of earshot before leaping straight to the topic on the forefront of his mind. "This isn't her first nose bleed..."

"No, I know." Mina nodded, her bubbly personality now a little more subdued as she unpacked the bags. "She had another a few weeks ago, during a battle." The blonde affirmed, turning toward Andrew. "but it's the first time I've heard of her fainting. Do you think something's wrong? Should we take her to a doctor?"

"I don't know if they'd find anything." Andrew shrugged, leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed. "Darien's been having nosebleeds lately too. Ever since Christmas."

"You don't think it's an S.T.I, do you?" Mina poured the soup into a clean bowl before heating it in the microwave.

"What?!" Andrew slammed his fist down onto the counter, mortified at the thought. "Of course not! Nose bleeds are not a common symptom of a sexually transmitted- wait... Why do you ask? What has Serena told you?"

"N-nothing." Mina shook her head vigorously. She had never seen Andrew in any other emotional state other than happy and conniving. "I swear I haven't heard anything like that from Serena, and the box of condoms hidden in Darien's sock drawer still has its tamper-proof seal intact!"

"Woah, how did you-"

"Of course, that doesn't really mean anything if it's a _brand new_ box to replace the previous box that they finished..." Mina frowned in thought, wondering why she hadn't thought of that before.

"Mina!" Andrew hollered, bringing the ditzy blonde back down to Earth.

"Sorry." She apologised, cheeks turning a bright shade of pink. "I don't think 'Rena and Darien are at that stage of their relationship..." Mina watched as Andrew's shoulders relaxed once more. "...yet." She playfully winked and stuck her tongue out, turning the tables to intentionally torment the protective man. "So do you think it's somehow connected?" Mina changed the topic quickly.

"Well," Andrew drummed his fingers on the counter top. "You're all from a different lifetime, right? Maybe it's like my textbook cases of repressed or blocked memories. They say that emotional or mental trauma can manifest itself in physical ways. Perhaps Serena and Darien's past memories are fighting their way to the surface."

Mina liked the idea. It sounded plausible, but there was one flaw, "But why not mine? Or Lita's or even Luna's?"

Andrew raised an eyebrow curiously, "Serena's cat?"

"Why is it only 'Rena and Darien getting the weird nosebleeds and headaches?" Mina pressed on.

"Seriously, 'Rena's cat was from the Moon Kingdom too?" Andrews mind struggled to comprehend how a cat came to be reincarnated, "Was I there?"

"Yes she was, no you weren't." Mina shook her head, giving Andrew a flat stare.

"Why do I always miss out?" Andrew grumbled under his breath. He hummed briefly to himself as he ran Mina's questions through his mind.

"Do you think them living together and getting close to one another had something to do with it?" Mina queried.

"I would say, a resounding...yes." Andrew nodded his head, stroking his invisible beard. "They seem to be struggling with their memories. Perhaps now that they've both accepted that they have feelings with one another, their past... selves, let's just say... are fighting against it. Maybe somewhere in the back of their minds, they know that this shouldn't happen."

"What do we do about it, then?" Mina stirred the soup absentmindedly. "I mean, they're both going through some serious stuff with all these repressed memories. Is there anything we can do to help?"

"We could try hypnotherapy. That could only really help Serena though since Darien's so far away and would never consent to any 'psycho mumbo jumbo'." Andrew scratched his head in frustration. "I guess the only thing left is to do what you've been trying to do for a while... find the rainbow crystals and the Moon Princess."

"It makes me sad though." Mina continued dejectedly, "I mean... they're both in pain, ill and struggling now, but isn't it sort of better than the alternative? Isn't holding back their memories better than them remembering their past lives and knowing that they can't love one another or have a future together?"

"Mina, you know what 'Rena's like." Andrew smiled gently, placing a reassuring hand on the blonde girl's shoulder. "What you may or may not know, is that Darien is an incredibly stubborn man. Once he sets his mind on something, he'll never give up. I don't think you'll have to worry about them not having a future together, or at least giving it a try." He watched as a small smile crept across Mina's features. "It's not like Darien to let something like destiny get in the way of his plans."

. . .

Serena sat still in bed and turned her attention from the doorway, where Andrew had just escorted Mina away, to the envelope perched in her hands. She knew his handwriting. She knew how he wrote her name in that semi-cursive style. She knew even without looking at the return address or the immaculately aligned stamp in the top right hand corner, that it was a letter from Darien. She looked around her room for a letter opener, even though a voice in her head told her that she had never owned one. No one owned letter openers these days... except, perhaps, Darien. It annoyed her slightly that she knew he had a letter opener in his room... in the third slot of his pen holder... sitting on the top right corner of his study table. It was such a small detail, but it irked her.

Turning the envelope in her hands a number of times, she examined it briefly before her clumsy fingers attempted to gently tear away at the seal. Reaching in to the freshly opened envelope, she pulled out a letter and a few polaroid pictures. She didn't know what to expect, and it made her feel strangely uneasy. Opening the letter, she let her eyes roam across his handwritten note. She read the first line: _Dumpling, Welcome to this week's installment of "Stupid-Head's Pictorial Guide to Boston", _and she couldn't help but laugh a little. Each polaroid film was labelled with a corresponding description in the letter, and she took her time to flick through them in order.

_1. A Typical Suburban Street - Funny, isn't it? All the houses in this area look similar and they're all so neat, with perfect little fences and immaculately groomed lawns. Do you think we could ever find a place like this in Japan?_

_2. My Shoebox Studio Apartment - I manage... but it's not the same without your annoying alarm in the mornings._

_3. Harvard – Where I go for a nap. Seriously... (not really)_

_4. The University Hospital – Where I make a difference in peoples' lives._

Serena's stomach churned as she held the picture of the hospital. She missed him so much, but his caption brought home a simple truth and realisation within Serena. It changed her whole perspective on him being so far away. It was a simple statement that could not have been phrased in any better way. Somehow that one picture made her feel a little less melancholy, and a whole lot more hopeful. She was genuinely happy for him and proud of the work he was doing.

_5. Because I Know You Miss This Morning Hair._

It was a picture of him, pulling a silly face. His hair was tousled, his face seemed pale and dark circles were etched under his eyes. Even though he looked exhausted, he had taken that silly photo of himself to send to her, knowing that she would probably one day use it to tease him, and tease him she would.

_I hope this letter reaches you well, and I hope the pictures have managed to bring a smile to your face, even if only for a little while. I won't ask you to not be mad at me, instead, I'll send you a letter every week and try to make you happy. _

_Counting the days 'til I come home..._

_Yours truly,_

_Stupid-Head. _

"Darien... You really are a stupid head." Serena wiped a stray tear from her eyes. "You make it really hard for me. I can't be mad at you if you keep giving me reasons to love you more."

* * *

. . .

So... I tried to use the "cutaway scene" method in story telling here. Hopefully it worked effectively. Nevertheless, the story seems to be taking a life of its own again, since I only planned for 20% of what actually happened above. I read a lot of your reviews that said "Seriously, how can they NOT piece together that Serena is the Moon Princess" And I thought... hmmm... they're right. So I've modified my story, and I think it's better, and all thanks to your reviews!

Anyway, I've updated my blog again to answer the PM question I received of "If you were to cast a real life Mamoru, who would it be?" so feel free to check it out- my blog link is on my author page or punch in [w w w . crystalsaturn. weebly. c o m] The next chapter might take a little longer to write up- please bear with me!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	36. 365 Days: Dream a Little Dream

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are kicking off the New Year with lots of love and hope. 2014 has already been a huge emotional rollercoaster for me already... and we're not even a week in!

A million thanks to all of you who have supported me and this story over the years. We passed the 1000 review mark! I'm amazed and so humbled! I was also informed that Summer Rain is within the top 20 most reviewed Sailor Moon stories on this site. I can't believe it! I love you guys!

**Just a word of warning-** I'm bumping the rating of this chapter up to **M** for mature content. It's a taste of what's to come in the next few chapters... so let me know if you like it or not.

_**Thanks to:**_ Miss Katrina Malfoy, Nich31, cat, MinnieMoosi, Chichiforever, LoverGurrl411, Angelic Snowdrop, Guest, Moonstone, l1s44p, bluebutterfly2006, Guest, MissJay, aquarius, chipachan, KittyKat, Kasienda, Sakura, Ai Kisugi, Guest, catgirl505, Silver Star, lyss010387, Guest, smfan4ever72, Serena, Guest, boston, Guest, trish1573, KHLostEmpress, LoveInTheBattleField, mari3all3n, SailorMoon489, sailormoon0630, Nancy67, kbtjmandy, Perfect Beauty, Miss Moon Rose, Laurelya, natashasurgirl, BostonBill, CharmedSerenity3 _**and**_ Sacagewea_** for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T _[This chapter- M]_  
**Chapter:** 36- 365 Days: Dream a Little Dream

"_Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you may still exist, but you have ceased to live."_

[- Mark Twain]

_4:26pm Tokyo Time_

It had been a long day at school. Classes seemed to drag on forever. The clock looked like it was barely even moving. Even lunchtime felt like something of a chore. Her mind simply couldn't focus on anything other than him. She hated to admit it, but she missed him. Two months had passed since Darien left for Harvard, and by all means, Serena was coping well without him. In fact, it took her a total of three days to return to a normal routine and get used to the fact that he was gone. But some days... some days all she could think about was him.

Shuffling home to the apartment, Serena kicked her shoes off at the door, changing into her usual bunny slippers. She sighed deeply as she dropped her book bag at her bedroom door and instead, turned and shuffled into Darien's room. She flung herself onto his queen size bed and inhaled deeply, relishing the feel of his silky sheets and the scent of his cologne still faintly lingering on his pillow.

Serena's eyes slowly fluttered shut as her lips tingled at the foggy memory of her last kiss with Tuxedo Mask. The way he held her firmly in his arms, and brought his lips swiftly down to hers. Sighing softly to herself, she recalled the countless times she had innocently fallen asleep on his bed and recalled the last time they were both in his room together, alone. He was tending to her wounds from a battle. The way his fingers brushed along her collarbone and how it made her tingle all over. Serena sighed in contentment as she began to imagine what could have happened if Andrew hadn't have come home at that time.

_As Darien's fingers danced along her collarbone, her eyes involuntarily shut as she shuddered slightly and shifted ever so slightly closer against his touch. Without even thinking, Darien found himself slowly being drawn in by his young damsel. The way the light reflected across her cheeks and along her jaw. It was somewhat intoxicating, and it wasn't long before Darien found himself absentmindedly running his fingers along Serena's neckline and over the unblemished skin of her jaw._

_Maybe it was the way she tilted her head away from him, luring him with the gentle innocence of the soft flesh of her neck. He couldn't help himself. She moved against him in an ever enticing way. Under lowered eyelids, Darien ever so gently grazed his thumb across Serena's bottom lip. With her eyes still shut, she let a gentle, encouraging groan escape her lips. It was at this point that Darien knew he had relinquished all higher order through processes and control over the situation. Leaning in slowly, something told him that he needed to be closer. He needed to feel those lips of hers again. Serena languidly opened her eyes just enough to see shadowy glimpses of Darien's lips, slowly approaching, lingering tantalisingly closer and closer._

Lifting her right hand up, she rested it gently against his neck. It was a brave move and uncharacteristic of her, but she didn't care anymore. This was her fantasy and all she wanted now was to pretend she could feel his lips against hers. Darien uttered a low, satisfying groan as his lips pressed against Serena's and she moved to deepen the kiss. His tongue danced along hers, seemingly drinking her in, while her hand placed gentle pressure on the nape of his neck, encouraging him to explore further.

"Darien..." Serena broke the kiss only to moan his name. His hands slowly began to wander their way up the side of her bare legs, skipping past her skirt to momentarily rest on her hips as he rose up off his knees, shifting his body over hers and laying her back down on his bed.

She wanted to feel every part of her body pressed up against his. The more he kissed her, the more he wanted to show her just how much she meant to him. Serena reached up and began to unbutton Darien's shirt as he held himself above her, continuing to focus his kisses across the sensitive skin of her neck. Discarding the shirt on to the floor beside the bed, Serena let her hands roam freely across his bare chest, eliciting another low groan from Darien. She pulled him down closer for another passionate kiss while cheekily wrapping one of her legs around his waist and arching her back off the bed. It was an invitation that Darien simply couldn't pass up. He leant in closer, pressing his body against hers, letting her feel just how crazy she was making him. She gasped slightly as her body burned with anticipation. His right hand caressed the curve of Serena's hips, inching higher and higher up her body until he reached the white lace of Serena's bra. Using the tips of his fingers, Darien traced the bust line of the flimsy bra, careful to touch her only lightly enough to tease.

"Serena," Darien breathed as he gently ran his fingers down across the side of her face, feeling the feathery softness of her cheek, along her jaw and collarbone, and down the side of her body, making sure to gently caress one of her breasts on his way down to her thighs. "You're so beautiful." A faint rosy hue tinted Serena's cheeks as she took a moment to stare deep into Darien's eyes. She placed a short, gentle kiss on his lips before taking his hand and slowly guiding it closer to where she wanted him to be. As Darien cheekily played with the hemline of Serena's skirt, she reached over to undo the top button of his pants agonisingly slowly, making sure to brush her hand against him in her 'struggles'.

"Serenity... stop teasing." He murmured as he nibbled gently on her neck. She giggled in response and he slowly crept his fingers higher up her skirt, eventually pressing them up against her white lace underwear.

"I need you now, Endymion."

. . .

_3:42am Boston Time_

Beads of sweat clung to Darien's body as he bolted upright in bed. His heart thumped wildly in his chest as adrenalin began to course through his veins.

"What the hell was that?" Darien's voice echoed through his empty bedroom. "_Endymion? Serenity?_" He shook his head, trying to decipher the dream he had just had. "Oh, God... Serena..." Vivid flashes of his dream played back in his mind's eye and Darien found himself throwing his covers aside and running to take a cold shower.

It was just past 4am as he stepped out of his shower, and just as Darien started to towel dry his hair, he could hear his phone ringing in the other room.

_My Dumpling Head._ The caller ID flashed on his screen, and immediately his fingers flicked to answer the call. "Hey..." His deep voice breathed into the phone, still unable to shake the feeling and images from his dream out of his head. He received no response. "Sere? Are you there?" He asked only for his question to be met with momentary silence, followed by a click and a dial tone. Darien let a few minutes lapse and lay back on his bed, watching as the moon set in the night sky from the window beside him. Picking up his phone again, he keyed a series of numbers to cloak his caller ID number, preventing it from showing up on Serena's phone as he called her back.

"Hello?" Her voice drifted through the phone as though she was in a dreamy state.

"Hey, you called me, Dumpling Head." The sound of Darien's voice caused Serena to swiftly sit up in bed.

"I..." Her heart began to beat faster and faster in her chest, suddenly feeling like she had been caught out in the act. Why was he calling her back? Maybe he knew about... no. It couldn't possibly be. "Did I?" Serena struggled to sound innocent and naive through the phone.

"Is everything OK, Sere?" Darien shifted his position on his bed as he noticed the strange tone in Serena's voice.

"Yep!" She practically squeaked. "Peachy!"

"Are you sure?" Darien drawled slowly.

"It must have been a pocket dial. Sorry to wake you up." Serena forced a small chuckle as she apologised for something that she had purposely done, and hoped that he'd swallow her lie.

"Sere, you haven't replied to any of my letters." Darien's soft tone caused something to stir within Serena's chest and suddenly, she began to felt sick with guilt. "Is there anything you wanted to talk to me about? Anything that may have just happened, perhaps?" Serena cringed at his last line. Did he somehow know what she was thinking and feeling, or was he just fishing for information? Either way, it made Serena nervous and uneasy.

"No. Nothing. I'm still mad at you, Darien." Serena kept her tone flat and her words short. "Bye." And with that, she ended the call. Sighing deeply to try and subdue her heartbeat. Serena fell back on to Darien's bed, reaching out to hug one of his pillows as she sighed once more. "I just called to hear the sound of your voice…"

* * *

Serena's seventeenth birthday celebrations were much like her sixteenth, a small gathering by the apartment pool. Although she loved her birthday, this year, she felt melancholy. Her attention turned toward a parcel that sat on the kitchen table.

"You should open that." Rei followed Serena's gaze, noticing the blonde's day-long distracted state.

"What?" Serena blinked a number of times, returning her attention to her violet eyed friend. "Why?"

"Because it'll implode under your gaze if you keep staring at it like that." Rei poked her tongue out playfully. "Don't think we haven't noticed you stealing glances at it all day."

"Yeah, 'Rena. Open it." Lita added, "I'm curious to see what Darien got you.

The dumpling headed teen couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Darien couldn't be there to celebrate with her. She knew that it was ridiculous to expect him to be there just for her birthday, but she missed him. She was still avoiding him and all news about how he was settling in well in America, save for a few snippets of information from Andrew and oddly enough, Mina.

"I'm not." Serena lied. "I probably won't even open his present." She shrugged, putting on a brave, albeit stubborn, act.

"'Rena," Ami interjected. "That doesn't sound like you at all." She added, gently. "You're not even the slightest bit curious about what he got you, or what he wrote in your letter this time?"

Serena crossed her arms and huffed her bangs out of her eyes. She knew it was probably a bad idea to have shared all the previous letters he sent with the girls. Now they all awaited each weeks letter and dose of romanticism with much anticipation, even Ami. "You guys..." Serena whined. "I can't get over him if I keep reading his letters... and I need to get over him and move on."

"But, why?" Rei slowly nudged the parcel in Serena's general direction. "He's only gone for two years. It's not like you'll never see him again."

"He's the Prince of the-"

"Fufufu." Mina waved her hand about. Storming over to the table, she snatched the parcel and thrust it into Serena's hands. "If I hear you use that Earth Prince excuse one more time, I'll stick a needle in my eye. Just open it so we can have a read, already."

Serena sighed in defeat as she slowly began to open up her parcel. Unwrapping the box, she reached for the card first. Opening it, she found a little note and a bundle of polaroids. Just at that moment, a ringing tone called out through the apartment. They were receiving a video call. Andrew leapt for the universal remote and turned the receiver on, knowing it could only be one person. Darien's face appeared on the television screen and the dark haired man waved to his small audience.

"Heya, Drew. Hi girls." Darien waved at his webcam. "Happy Birthday, Sere."

All returned his greeting warmly, except for Serena, who was still reading his letter and sorting through this week's polaroids. She picked up a picture of a cake with candles and read its caption while Darien continued catching up with Andrew and the girls. '_17 Candles. Happy Birthday, Dumpling'_. She couldn't help but smile. The rest of the pictures were of various rabbits. There were 17 of them. '_I got into the habit of taking photos of rabbits whenever I saw them, because they reminded me of you.'_ Serena read his explanation in the letter and struggled to hold back an even greater smile.

"Open the gift box." Darien's voice gained her attention and she looked up to see him watching her from the webcam. She followed his instructions, placing the letter down on the table and picking up the heavy brown box. She pulled back the lid and removed a large slab of Styrofoam to reveal a snow globe. Displayed in it was a white rabbit sitting on a gold crescent moon. White flakes of snow and glittery stars whirled about in the liquid suspension.

"It's beautiful." Serena held it in awe as she shook it gently. As she tilted the orb, she noticed two curiosities at its base. Reaching to pluck the small pull string bag, she gingerly opened it up to find a gold and pink enamel charm in the shape of a slice of strawberry cake. The second oddity she found was a wind up peg attached to the snow globe. She turned it a number of times and the crystal globe tinkered the gentle, soothing melody of Yiruma's _Kiss the Rain_.

Silence befell the room as the song played. Serena's vision blurred with unshed tears as she wished she could hug him, now more than ever. His gift was incredibly beautiful and sweet, and yet it made her even sadder than before, knowing that he was on the other side of the world, and yet still managing to be so romantic. Each haunting note tugged at her heartstrings, making her chest ache and her soul drain of its usual characteristic warmth. With this one music box melody, he was professing his love for her... and yet, she couldn't help but feel more and more hopeless.

"Alright, everybody out." Serena suddenly placed the gift back down on the table. Her voice carried a decisive tone to it.

"What?" Rei retorted

"What do you mean?" added Lita

Serena glared directly at the webcam, "I need to speak to you, alone." She then turned her attention towards the girls and Andrew. "That means you guys need to go."

"Go... where?" Ami looked about her.

"Andy's room, the bathroom, the balcony... I don't know..." Serena shrugged. Her blase attitude could be traced back to her focus on one person in particular.

Andrew and the girls shrugged and exchanged strange looks before walking out into the balcony and shutting the glass door behind them. Once satisfied that she was as alone as she could possibly be at that moment, she turned her attention back toward the man on the large screen.

"What are you doing?" The blonde teen placed her hands on her hips in a habitual act of displaying her annoyance.

"I don't think I understand what you mean by that question, Sere."

"The pictures, the weekly letters, the presents... what are you trying to do?" her voice grew louder, and little did she know, but Andrew and the girls could hear every word.

"I thought it was pretty clear what I was trying to do. I'm trying to make you happy." Darien leant back in his chair, crossing his arms defensively.

"Why?" Serena's voice strained in exasperation. "Why do you care so much now that you're gone? You weren't like this when you were here and had the chance, so what gives?"

"Sere..." He seemed a little taken aback by her abruptness. Mulling over a response, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. "I just..."

"What? Miss me? Well, guess what, buddy? You're not allowed to. You're the prince of the Earth, Darien. Your destiny is tied up with the Moon Princess, not me." She huffed. "And even still, even if that weren't the case, it wouldn't change this moment right here, and do you know why? Because you're still in America! You knew that I liked you. You were the one always telling me that we could never happen. You knew I had feelings for you and you had so many chances to make me happy here but-"

"And I took them, Sere." Darien interrupted, feeling hurt by her words. "How many more ways can I show you that I have feelings for you? I walked you home from work every night. I saved you from Dark Kingdom monsters, I cooked you all your favourite dishes, I brought your family to spend Christmas with you, I held your hand and stayed by you whenever there was a storm, _I was there for you_." Darien took in a deep breath to stop his tone from escalating any further and showing any more frustration. "Your pendant, Sere... I gave you have the key to my heart. I showed you in so many ways. For God's sake, Serena, I kissed you; so many times... as Tuxedo Mask, as me. How many more ways do you want me to show you that I… I have feelings for you?"

"But you pushed me away so many times, too. Every time we started getting close, you were always quick to make sure I knew that 'w_e' w_ould never happen. You may have done all those things to show me that you cared, but your words always said otherwise. And now you're in America."

"I thought actions spoke louder than words." Darien hastily brushed his bangs away from his eyes. "I've had feelings for you for much longer than even I realised. I can't just turn those off, Sere. And I don't want to. I'm going to keep being selfish for a little longer. If that upsets you, then I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to let you go yet."

"So you're trying to make me fall in love with you, from a thousand miles away?" The petite blonde watched as he returned a small nod.

"Let's be honest, Serena. We both know that I don't even need to try." Darien's remark came across as being more of a request for affirmation, than a snide comment, but it still got under Serena's skin. She refused to confess her feelings to him through a screen.

"I hate you for making me feel like this."

"Yeah, well... I'm really disappointed to hear that you thought I never cared about you and never did anything to show you how I feel." Darien leaned back on his couch again, looking defeated. "Look, I'm going to go. I'd hate to ruin your birthday more than I already have." and with that, he disappeared off her screen.

* * *

Christmas was the same family affair that it had been the year before, but this time, Andrew and Serena left the city of Tokyo to spend Christmas with their families in Akita.

It was a welcomed break for the two of them, and they both cherished all the happy memories and warm moments spent with their family. It snowed quite heavily in Akita, yet Serena spent much of her time strolling through the white, powder kissed fields.

"Where did my baby daughter go?" Ikuko questioned as she watched from the kitchen window as Serena solemnly walking through the frosty hedges outside. "She's grown up so much. I'm afraid I won't recognise her the next time I see her."

"She has changed, hasn't she?" Andrew handed his aunt a mug of hot cocoa.

"She's changed a lot." Ikuko poked a marshmallow with her spoon, drowning it in the sweet, hot syrupy fluid. "And I'm not just talking about her grades." She added before a long comfortable silence fell between the two. "When is Darien coming back?"

"Ah… not for another year and a bit, I think." Andrew hummed as he thought. "Why do you ask?"

"My daughter is happy when he is near her." The dark-haired woman smiled faintly. "I'd like to see her that happy again."

Andrew slowly sipped his hot chocolate as he stole sideward glances at his aunt. Was this her way of expressing that she gave her blessing? "Well… He's doing pretty well but he misses her too."

"I know." Ikuko smiled warmly. "He told me on the phone just the other day."

Andrew just about choked. ""Wait… he called you?" He watched as his aunt nodded slowly. "That's a little… weird."

"It's more than you do, young Andrew." Ikuko pinched her nephew's cheek playfully. "You should call your mother more often, 'Toki-chan. She worries about you when you don't call."

"I know…" His shoulders slumped in embarrassment at being berated like a child. "But… Darien called you?" Andrew raised a curious eyebrow . "What a suck up." He rolled his eyes, gaining another playful poke from his aunt.

Christmas passed in a blur, and less than one week later, Serena found herself on the rooftop of the apartment, counting down to the dawn of another New Year.

She remembered Mina's words from when she first moved in to the apartment: '_New Year's Eve is so romantic. They say that whoever's arms you're in when the clock strikes twelve, is the person you'll spend the rest of the year with_.'

She smiled as she recalled where she was for her two previous New Year's Eves. Both times, she had somehow managed to find herself in the arms of her ex-enemy, with their lips pressed together. Try as she might, she couldn't stop that little spark of hope in her heart. Even though she knew that Darien was in America, a small part of her hoped that maybe she would have a little bit of magical Christmas miracle dust left.

With 60 seconds before the start of the New Year, a familiar cologne invaded Serena's senses as a warmth wrapped around her shoulders, enveloping her. She knew the scent well. It could only be him. Her heart skipped a beat as she turned around, only to find herself face to face with Andrew. He had come home from his shift at the Arcade early and had wrapped Darien's signature green jacket around his cousin's shoulders.

"Sorry 'Rena," He noticed the brief disappointed look on her face that she tried to immediately mask with a smile. "I thought that this might be close enough to being in his arms at midnight."

"Andy-" She barely managed to whisper his name in appreciation before the fireworks began, drawing her attention away. Her lip trembled with a mix of disappointment and the bitter chill of the winter cold as she looked up at the night sky. She pretended to watch the fireworks, but all she could see were a blur of watercolours as tears flooded her vision and fell from her eyes.

* * *

The days grew ever longer and even though Winter slowly gave way to the first Spring buds and blossoms, the crisp bitter chill of Winter's grasp still lingered on clear, cloudless nights. It was not long after midnight when Darien's eyes flickered beneath his heavy lids and he groaned softly in his sleep.

"Serenity..." Darien's lips murmured briefly before brushing up against hers.

He opened his eyes from his slumber to find her standing before him, her silvery blonde hair catching the moonlight and glowing an ethereal hue. She reached out her hand, caressing his cheek and he placed his hand over hers, trying to find out whether or not she was real, or merely a remnant of his dreams. Before his blurry slumber stained eyes could adjust, she leant over to kiss him once again.

The velvety softness and warmth of her lips convinced him that he couldn't possibly still be sleeping. There was somebody definitely in his room, in his arms, kissing him like only one other person had ever done before.

"Serenity..." Darien heard himself calling her name again, but as he pulled away to look into her eyes, he was startled to realise that he knew them rather well. "Serena!?"

"Bring me the Silver Crystal." Her voice whispered as she pulled away, fading into wisps of silver smoke, illuminated by the glow of the full moon. Darien leapt out of bed as he reached for her. His fingers passed straight through her, and in an instant she was gone.

It couldn't have been a dream. She felt too real. So what was it then? At that moment, both his heart and head ached, "Sailor Moon..." Darien groaned, feeling her transformation. Dropping to his knees, his pulse drummed through his veins and with an excruciating cry, he unwillingly transformed into his masked alter ego. It had been nearly three years since his last uncontrolled transformation, and he had almost forgotten just how painful his early experiences were.

Tuxedo Mask clutched at his chest as flashes of coloured light blurred his vision. Somehow, he was seeing glimpses of her battle. A cat? "Bakene?" A violet Crystal. She lost it... to Zoisite. Beads of sweat clung to his forehead, but the worst had passed. The battle was over. Was she alright? Did she get hurt?

Sailor Moon sighed, feeling defeated. She had lost another Rainbow Crystal to that Dark Kingdom creep. Zoisite now had three, and so did she. With one more Rainbow Crystal left to find, she knew that she couldn't afford to lose again.

"You did well, Sailor Moon." Luna encouraged as the blonde heroine and her fellow Sailor Soldiers detransformed. "You should tend to your wounds so they heal in time for the next battle."

"I didn't do well enough." Serena sighed, ignoring the sharp pain from the light gash on her right leg. Her pocket sounded and she reached in, pulling out her cell. She glanced down at her buzzing phone. The caller ID read "_My Idiot-Head_" but that couldn't have been right. It was early in the afternoon in Japan, meaning it would have been the early hours of the morning on the east coast of America. What in the world was Darien doing calling her so late? Apart from his continual weekly stream of letters, she hadn't heard from him since her birthday. Serena frowned as her heartbeat began to race. Maybe he was in trouble. She swiped her finger across the screen and lifted the phone to her ear.

"Serena," His voice sounded so soothing. "I know you're still mad and not talking to me, but that's okay. You don't have to say anything, but please just listen."

Serena sucked a breath in and nodded her head as though he could see her. It wasn't the best timing, but she was curious to hear what he had to say.

"I know I've apologised a million times, but I'm still sorry." He waited for a moment see if she would say anything in response. He could hear nothing in response but a waiting silence. "You see, the thing is… I'm calling because I miss you." He added, "It's not like things aren't going well here. In fact, quite the opposite. I'm finding my placement to be really interesting, and my research is going extraordinarily well too. If all continues to go well in the lab, I could have a breakthrough treatment for hepatocellu-" Serena cleared her throat, and Darien realised that he was probably confusing her. "Well… I guess the details aren't really all that important. What I'm trying to say is- things are about to get pretty busy for me soon-" He was rambling on again. "It's not that I hate being here… I just love seeing your smile." There was a point to his call… he was sure of it, even if he couldn't quite remember it at this moment. "Sere, Do you miss me? Because if you do, I'll jump on a plane and come home right now. I need an excuse- any will do. If you miss me, then let me know. Say something, anything, and I'll come back to you." Darien waited patiently, but the silence continued.

"I'm sorry, Darien." Serena's voice eventually responded. She grit her teeth through the pain. It was the most open and honest she had heard him in a long while, but she knew that she had to stay strong. She couldn't let him sacrifice his future just because he missed her. She knew what she wanted to say, and what she had to say… and they were both complete contradictions to one another. "I can't tell you what you want to hear..."

"That's..." he couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice. "That's okay." Serena could hear him take a deep sigh. "Well, thanks for listening to me anyway." And with that, Serena was left listening to the lonely sound of the dial tone.

* * *

A number of days later, Darien sat on the grass beneath a sugar maple at his local park and closed his eyes, meditating to clear his mind. He needed to focus on what was important. If he was to find the Moon Princess, then he needed to do exactly what Andrew had told him to write as his fifth New Year's resolution for the previous year. Darien needed to trust and listen to his instincts and follow his heart. As he closed his eyes, he began to listen past all the other superficial noises and sounds, blocking them all out until he could only hear the beating of his own heart.

"Darien?" Andrew's voice startled the dark haired man out of his meditation. "Is that really you? How did you get... here?"

Darien looked around at his surroundings. The sound of the wind rustling through the trees and birds chirping around him had disappeared, replaced with the hustle and bustle of busy city streets below. Obviously he was no longer sitting in the park in Boston. "Drew?" He asked, scratching his head, suddenly realising where he was. "I... I was following your advice. I was trying to follow my heart."

"And it led you to Serena's bedroom?" Andrew frowned, hesitating just before he reached out to place a hand on Darien's face, just to be sure.

"I can't be home." Darien swatted away Andrew's hand in annoyance. "That's impossible."

"Well," Convinced that it was really his best friend sitting in the middle of Serena's room, Andrew shrugged. "Unless there's a parallel Tokyo in Boston that I'm a part of but don't know about, you're at home, buddy." It was odd. The more he knew about this strange super-charged mystical "other life" of magical powers and alternate histories, the less he became surprised when seemingly impossible happenings occurred.

"But how did I get here?"

"Apparently, you followed your heart, and it led you straight to Serena. Who would've thought!" Jovial sarcasm dripped from Andrew's voice before he glanced down at his watch and his expression became a little more serious. "By any means, you can't be in here. 'Rena should be home from school any minute now." Just as the words left Andrew's mouth, the sound of keys in the door frightened both men into action. Andrew grabbed his friend by his shirt collar and swung him around, hurling Darien into his room before swiftly shutting the door just in time.

"Andy?" Serena reached the hallway. "What's that noise?"

"You... can't go in there." Andrew barricaded the door with his back. "I saw some spiders in there and threw in a bug-killer bomb to smoke them all to death."

"Oh... okay" Serena watched her older cousin curiously before dismissing his odd behaviour.

Darien leant back against his bedroom door. He could hear her light, melodic voice from the other side. He reached for his door knob but hesitated, deciding not to open it. What he would have given to be able to see her face again.

Andrew and Serena continued to stare at each other in awkward, tense silence for a few moments longer, before Serena's expression deepened into a strange frown for a moment and she slipped into her bedroom "Right…" She cleared her throat. "I guess I'm just going to go… chill in my room."

"Great!" Andrew responded with a little too much enthusiasm. "I'll take a moment to check on the mosquitos-"

"I thought you said they were spide-"

"Mosquitos? I-meant-spiders!" Andrew laughed to try to cover up his awkward attempts at lying. "Anyway, you should probably stay in your room just in case they're not dead yet," The blonde man placed his hands on Serena's shoulders, walking her backwards in to the middle of the room before backing out and reaching for her door. "I'll let you know when the coast is clear." He smiled a little too cheerfully once more, before shutting Serena's bedroom door behind him.

He breathed a small sigh of relief and reached for Darien's room door, turning it swiftly and slipping in before pressing his back against the door. "You're still here. I'm not delusional. You're really here." A moment passed as a million thoughts raced in Andrew's mind. "You can't be here. You have to go back to America."

"Drew, how am I supposed to get back?" Darien raised his hands up to his head in frustration. "I have no money or ID or passport. I can't just jump on a plane and s_ay 'Hi, my name is Mamoru Chiba. I go by the name Darien and am a Japanese citizen studying in the United States. By your records, I should be already in the states now, but I blinked my eyes and somehow Twilight Zoned my way back home.' _Right... if that doesn't make me instant terrorism suspect number one, I don't know what will."

"Well... I guess you'll have to wait and see then." Andrew shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what else to say.

"Wait and see? For what? For my passport to magically materialise out of thin air?! And how long should I wait? And how long am I supposed to hide this from Serena?"

"You can not tell Serena that you're here." Andrew's gaze became stern. "We don't know how much time you have until you go back, and if she finds out that you're somehow home, and then you mysteriously disappear again, who knows how many times Serena will kill you."

"Fine but-" At that moment, Darien clutched at his chest, falling to the ground.

"Andy," Serena called out urgently, interrupting Andrew and Darien's hushed conversation. "Moonie call!"

"Alright..." Andrew acknowledged through the room door, watching as Darien transformed in front of his eyes. "Dude... you haven't uncontrollably transformed in years."

"I... I know" Tuxedo Mask rose to his feet, his eyes darting about the room, searching for his escape route.

"Wait, what are y- I know that look in your eyes... You can't go after her." Andrew watched his best friend, noticing his seemingly agitated state. "Did you not just hear me?"

"I have to protect her." Tuxedo Mask stated firmly.

"Are you kidding me? I mean, I'm all for you looking out for 'Rena but if she sees you-"

"She won't. I'm just going to watch over her." The caped man slid his balcony door open, stepping outside, preparing to leap up onto the rooftop. "I need to make sure nothing happens to her."

It took Tuxedo Mask a while to regain his bearings and sense the blonde heroine's location among all the other spirits in Tokyo. By the time he had arrived at the scene, the battle was in full swing. Sailor Moon spluttered as a monster lunged forward, knocking her to the ground and squeezed her neck in its long, twisted fingers.

A crimson rose pierced through the air, slicing across the monster's knuckles before embedding itself into the grass beside them. The monster screeched out in pain and Sailor Moon gazed up to the direction of the projectile. "Tux..." but no one could be seen. She turned her attention back toward the rose, but it was no longer there. Nevertheless, whatever had injured the beast gave Sailor Moon enough time to overpower the monster and reach for her Moon Wand.

"Moon healing-"

The dust from the battle settled and Sailor Moon immediately ran toward the ground where she fell from the beast's attack. There was no trace of the crimson red rose. The ground remained packed down, with no stem penetration marks to be seen. Sailor Moon scratched her head curiously. Could she have imagined it all? A dark shadow amongst the trees caught her attention, but as soon as she turned her attention toward it, it vanished.

"I must be going crazy…" Sailor Moon rubbed her eyes vigorously. "I'm seeing shadows lurking in trees…"

. . .

"Are you…" Serena watched as Andrew set aside a serving of dinner. "Expecting someone over for dinner?"

"Huh? What?" Andrew glanced over at the leftover portion. "This? Oh… no, I just thought that I'd make a bit extra for lunch tomorrow."

"But... you never eat leftovers." Serena frowned. "Are you feeling alright, Andy? You've been acting strangely all day."

"Ahh... I guess it's been kind of a strange day..."

Wait. That's all Darien could do for now. Sit and wait and hide. He couldn't risk Serena seeing him. Not like this. Not without some sort of explanation… and an explanation was exactly what he didn't have. Darien was struggling to comprehend how it was even possible to start with. To his scientific mind, it simply didn't make any sense. It was impossible.

He paced back and forth in his room, feeling swift onset of cabin fever. Andrew had snuck in a meal and had given him a quick situation report on Serena's whereabouts and her plans for the night. Unfortunately for the antsy man, Serena had decided to study in the living room area tonight. That meant he was stuck in his bedroom until he or Andrew figured out what to do next. He had barely gotten by with his bottle of purell and by peeing into the potted plant on his balcony, and was thankful that he had decided to buy a miniature rose bush, rather than something like a tomato plant.

It was nearing midnight, and the apartment was silent. That was it. Darien decided that he couldn't bear to stay in his room any longer. He needed to get out. He needed to wash his hands. But more importantly, he needed to see her. Tip toeing out of his room, Darien stood at the end of the hallway. His attention fell toward the teenager, asleep on the couch, one leg stretched out over the armrest, the other tucked beneath her as she quietly purred in her sleep. Her long golden locks cascaded across her face and pooled onto the carpet. A number of textbooks lay strewn on the coffee table and floor about her.

The tall, dark haired man silently approached the sleeping beauty, kneeling before her as he admired the peaceful look on her face. Lifting his hand up, he gently caressed the porcelain skin of her face, brushing long golden strands of sunlight blonde from her eyes. She frowned slightly at the feeling of something or someone touching her, gently coaxing her away from the comfort of a deep slumber. His fingers traced along the contour of her nose and she wrinkled it in response before her eyes languidly fluttered open.

Immediately, she winced at the brightness of the light from the lamp beside her and raised a hand to shield her face. "Dar...?" Her brows were furrowed low in a half squint, half frown as she tried to rub her eyes. "Darien, is that really you?" She watched him staring back at her; the corners of his lips curling into a small smile and a warm affectionate gaze evident in his eyes.

"You know I'm in America right now," He ran his thumb across her petal soft cheek once more as he shook his head gently. "I'm not really here. You're still dreaming, Dumpling."

"Am I?" Serena's shoulders immediately seemed to relax as she slumped back into the couch cushion. "This is just a dream?" She frowned once more, seemingly confused, but groggily accepting his statements as truth.

"I'm just a part of your dream." Darien nodded, his smile growing ever brighter as Serena lifted a hand, plopping it ungracefully on his face.

"But... you feel so real..." She moved to sit up, but Darien stopped her, taking her hand in his. He felt so warm and his touch caused her heart to skip a beat; something that she didn't believe was possible in a dream. "I've missed you so much Dar…"

Ever so slowly, Darien lifted his other hand to cup her cheek and slowly leaned forward. He rested his forehead against hers for a moment. "I've missed you too, Sere." She felt her lips tingle as his warm breath danced along it. "You're so beautiful." Her heart skipped another beat before kicking into overdrive, thumping wildly in her chest so hard that she swore he could hear it too.

It couldn't have been a dream, could it? She had never, ever had a dream where her own body's physiological responses had felt so real and vivid... and yet, his words. What she would have given to hear him say those words to her when he was living just across the hall from her. Darien had never been one to whisper sweet nothings to her, or to touch her so delicately and gently as he was now. It must have been a dream.

"Darien... I wish you were home. I couldn't tell you before, because I want you to be happy chasing your dreams and-" Her words were cut short by the feeling of his lips pressed against hers, gently at first but growing steadily in passion. He deepened the kiss, and she let him, feeling her body grow weak at every slow movement of his lips against hers. She surrendered herself completely to the kiss, but after a few more seconds, she felt him slowly pull away. "No, wait..." She murmured, opening her eyes. She found herself alone in the room.

_Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum._

Darien's head throbbed painfully as he forced his eyelids to slowly open, fighting his body's protest to naturally clamp them shut and curl into the foetal position.

"Where..." He gradually managed to sit up, feeling his acute migraine begin to fade away. "...Am I?" Observing his surroundings, it took him a few moments to realise that he was sitting on the floor in the middle of his apartment.

Lifting a hand up to his lips, he touched them gently. They were still sticky from her cherry lip gloss and the soft scent of her peach shampoo still lingered on his fingertips. It was definitely not a dream, but how could it have been a physical possibility? There was no reasonable way for him to understand how he could be by Serena's side, in Japan, one moment and then lying in his apartment in America the next.

Using his power of psychometry, he reached for his pocket watch and a vision of Serena flashed in his mind. She slowly swung her legs over the side of the sofa and lightly tiptoed down the hall, toward her bedroom. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, hesitating as she reached for her door knob. Slowly, she turned around and peered into his bedroom and seemed to make the last minute decision to lay down on his bed, cuddling his pillow closely.

"She's still in Japan... it must've been real… but how?"

* * *

. . .

So… It was my birthday a couple days ago (New Year's Day) and I cried… because my little cousin snapped my USB. So… 13 years of fanfiction; 50 unpublished ficlets, 2 new stories in the making, 4 almost-completed upcoming Summer Rain chapters and almost 5 years of university assignments and lecture notes- all gone. Great start to the New Year- Not! My New Year's resolution is to back everything up on the cloud now. Thankfully, I was working on this chapter using Google Docs, and it was preserved online… Otherwise I probably would've just given up on writing any more fanfics. Devastating.

In other news- thank you to everyone who donated to my Birthday fundraising appeal (see my profile page) All donations have been processed for this year. My account has been left open though, so if you'd like to help me make a difference in the lives of others for my next birthday, by contributing a small donation then please, feel free to visit the link on my profile. I'm happy to say, we've all managed to raise money to buy a water pump for a village! Thank you! Each donation will receive a personalised hand written thank you card from yours truly, simply PM me your details.

Anyhow, since I'm working on the next chapters from scratch, it may take me a little while to get the next chapter out. Let me know what you thought about the mature content and I'll see you again in a couple... weeks?

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	37. Last Rainbow Crystal: A Warrior in White

Hi everyone! Here's a new chapter! It's a little shorter than usual, but the next couple chapters should be quite a bit longer, as we discover the "Moon Princess" and the SereXDar relationship progresses. This chapter should've been out a week ago, but I've been distracted with the idea for a new story... so I kind of put off editing this one (and replying to reviews... and eating... and sleeping) But I've been working on chapters 38-40 for the past 2 years now, so they shouldn't take too long to post.

In other news, I've created a facebook account, since I'm so horrible at replying to reviews. The link is up on my profile, so please add me... I currently have like 5 friends and get lonely talking to myself hahaa. Add me... ask me questions... post up some pictures... pester me about the next chapter update... I promise I won't spam you with game requests =P

_**Thanks to:**_ pinkkitty1988, cat, l1s44p, diellemabelle, Silver Star, Wonderwomanbatmanfan, bluebutterfly2006, smfan4ever72, moon86, Kasienda, Miss Moon Rose, Nich31, MissJay, KittyKat, 4fireking, Selene Jade Rose, trish1573 (Happy belated birthday!), lyss010387, Twiggirl006, Princess Moonie of the moon, Anonymous Angel (Happpy belated birthday to you too!), CharmedSerenity3, SailorMoon489, Guest, Miss Katrina Malfoy, Severn, natashasurgirl, kara69love _**and**_ MinnieMoosi _**for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 37 – The Last Rainbow Crystal – Warrior in White?

. . .

Serena roared as she yawned, stretching her arms high above her head. She stepped out into the hallway, just as Andrew walked out of the bathroom.

"Did you fall asleep in Darien's room again?"

"I..." She blushed profusely, fidgeting her fingers. "I guess I did..."

"If you really miss him that much, then you should just call him." Andrew rolled his eyes at his cousin's stubbornness. He wasn't sure if it was a genetic trait, or if Darien has just rubbed off on her too much.

"I-I-I don't miss him! I just... I like his room. It gets a nice sunset view." Serena lied. "Why is his stuff even still in there? Couldn't we just rent out his room to someone else since he's gone?"

"Uh... no." Andrew shook his head decisively before continuing to dry his sandy blonde hair with his towel.

"Why not?" Serena shrugged. "Wouldn't it help out with the rent?"

"Well..." Andrew began. "I guess it would, but we can't because... this is Darien's apartment." Surely he had told her this before, right? Someone would have mentioned it.

"It... is?" The petite blonde blinked, suddenly feeling a little out of place.

"Yuuup."

"Then... Why do you have the main bedroom?" Serena looked back into Darien's bedroom. It was spacious enough for all his belongings, but it didn't have a private bath, like the main bedroom.

"Darien's generosity, I guess." Andrew scratched his head, not too certain himself. "Just like when I told him about you needing a place to stay, he offered his study room, Diana's old room... and when he found out that you, the infamous _Dumpling Head_, were my cousin, he waived your share of the rent too."

Serena took a moment to try to let it all sink in. "But he didn't know about papa... Why would he do that?"

"He didn't want you worrying about finances... just your grades. He also didn't want to be profiting from your family's grief and loss." Andrew explained, watching the little invisible cogs turning in Serena's head.

"I never knew..."

"'Rena," Andrew sighed once again before watching as a glazed expression overcame Serena's face. "Romance in real life is never as grand, obvious, or elaborate as it is in the fantasies of women."

Andrew was right. Although Darien had always teased her, he was also always there for her... whether she wanted him to be or not. He may not have showered her with rose petals and sonnets, but he had been by her side, unconditionally supporting her from the very beginning. He offered her music when she couldn't sleep the first night. He always walked her home from work. He tagged along to dance classes when she asked him. He protected her... from spiders; from storms; from monsters; from loneliness; from the grief of losing her father; from having to eat carrots. He was the keeper of her secrets, the guardian of her insecurities and the protector of her dreams. He motivated her to be better. He cared for her when she was ill. He gave her his Star Locket and Rainbow Crystals. He was her first kiss and her first love. She was stronger with him by her side. What more could she ever want in a romantic relationship?

Serena's gaze wandered past the doorframe of her bedroom and settled on the small stack of letters on her desk. He was still trying to show her a glimpse of his feelings for her, even though she had rejected him. Unlike her, his feelings never wavered and he never gave up. Serena recalled the first time she caught him looking at her _like that_ and the way her heart skipped a beat and soared higher than the clouds in the sky. Her stomach still tied itself in fluttery knots every time he looked at her with that warm, affectionate gaze. "I don't know, Andy..." She sighed, her fingers subconsciously playing with the charms on her bracelet. "I think romance in real life is better than any fantasy imaginable... once you realise that it was right under your nose all along."

"You should call him." Andrew persisted. "Without affirmation, a real life romance remains a mere fantasy... and one sided loves have a way of fading away into history and regret."

"I should..." Andrew's eyes lit up at Serena's words "...get ready for school. I'm going to be late." The sound of the palm of Andrew's hand smacking against his forehead could be heard echoing around the apartment.

. . .

Andrew glanced briefly at the dual clock on the wall before settling down on the sofa and reaching for the console remote. It was ten in the morning in Tokyo, meaning it would be eight at night in Boston. He dialled Darien's contact through the video call interface and waited.

"Hey man," Darien's face popped up on the television screen, smiling warmly at the sight of a familiar face. "What's up?"

"Ahh, you know. Same old, same old. I just called to check up on you." Andrew leant back in his seat. "The arcade's doing fine, Reika's coming back from Africa soon, Uni's a bore... what about you?"

"Well... all I have is uni, really." Darien shrugged. "And that's going really well. I'm racking up my placement hours at the University Hospital too."

"And how's that going?"

"Uh... A little unnerving at first." Darien admitted, somewhat sheepishly. "It's very busy, but I'm getting the hang of things, and learning more than ever before... especially about how to work through extremely long hours." He slumped back on his couch. "How's your research project? Have you handed in your thesis yet?"

"Yeah, just last week actually." As sad as it sounded, it made Andrew a little happy whenever Darien or Serena remembered the little details of his life. "Now I wait for marking and the peer review."

"Congratulations!" A broad grin spread across Darien's face. "I bet that's a load off of your shoulders. Did you go for drinks afterwards?"

"Yeah, it's great. I can focus on the law part of my degree now." The blonde chuckled in response. "'Rena and the girls took me out to dinner as a bit of a celebration." Andrew watched as Darien seemed to perk at the mention of her name. Of course he did. He always did. "You know, it was actually kind of funny... 'Rena ran into one of her classmates while we were there... Eric or somebody..."

"Eric?" Darien had heard the girls giggling his name in the apartment before. He seemed to squint in suspicion as Andrew continued on with his story.

"Yeah, he and Serena seemed to get along quite well. They had quite an animated conversation. I wonder if they're dating..."

"Dating?!" Darien rose to his feet in an instant, the coffee table in front of him rocked violently from being accidentally kicked by the outraged man.

"Who knows..." Andrew struggled to hold back his laughter as he shrugged and acted completely blasé. If Serena wasn't going to budge, perhaps he could persuade Darien to give it another shot.

"But Drew-"

"Two years is a long time to be away, you know." The sandy blond casually cleaned his nails as Darien seemed to get more and more worked up.

"Yeah, I know but-"

"She's young... got lots of prospects... I wouldn't blame her for wanting to keep her options open."

"Drew!"

Andrew caved and let out a hearty laugh. "I'm messin' with you."

"That's not funny!" Darien ran his fingers through his dark hair to try to settle his nerves.

"It's... a little bit funny. But in all honesty, they really did seem to get along well. She seems to make friends so easily. And she is getting older... it really wouldn't surprise me if she did start dating soon." Andrew could almost see dark rays of depression radiating from Darien's being. The connection flickered slightly as a rumble could be heard in the background. "Are you making it storm over there?"

"Drew..." Darien's voice was quiet, masking the deep agitation that he obviously felt, "How do you do it?"

"Atmospheric instability and convection are usually how storms-"

"I mean..." Darien interrupted his smart-ass best friend. "The long distance thing..."

"Well, usually... you have to be in a relationship to have a long distance relationship." Another flash of lightning followed by a rumble of thunder disrupted the connection. This time, it was on Andrew's end. "What the heck?" He looked about the apartment. "It was just sunny three minutes ago!" Andrew's attention turned to the window, where dark clouds began to amass above the apartment block. "So I see your Earthly powers are growing, your highness..."

"When I regain my throne, I swear, you'll be the first one I'll throw into the dungeons, Drew." Darien deadpanned. "Why do you always have to make me feel bad?"

"Because she's my cousin. Family comes first." Andrew walked over to the balcony, shutting the door to stop the windy gusts of air from wreaking havoc with the blinds. "That... and you kinda bring it upon yourself." Another flash of lightning by the window caused Andrew to wince. "Trust. Trust and honesty are pretty important factors, alongside communication, of course."

"Sure... communication." The dark lines of depressive sulkiness began again.

"She's still reading your letters." Andrew offered a bit of encouragement.

"Does she ever ask about me?"

"No... not anymore." Andrew drawled slowly. "But I don't think she's seeing anyone either. She seems to be pretty serious about becoming a nurse, although I think her motivation behind it is just so she can throw it all back at you and say _'I told you so'_."

Darien laughed, shaking his head slowly. "How is she coping?"

"Not well. I've had to pick her up from school twice just this week because she passed out from dissecting animals and analysing blood samples."

Another small laugh erupted from Darien's lips, yet the mirth never reached his eyes and eventually his voice slowly faded away to silence.

Andrew decided to pick up the conversation once again. "You miss her, huh?" His question was met with silence, as though it was obvious. "You know, she misses you too." The blond continued. "Sometimes I find her asleep on your bed. She swears it's because your room has the air conditioner and heater, but half the time when I see her in there, neither one is on."

"I miss all of you guys." Darien eventually tried to deflect the conversation slightly. "I miss the familiarity of the place. I miss the food. I miss the apartment. I miss the arcade. I miss my car." He added, drawing in a deep breath before continuing. "I miss walking her home from work. I miss waking up and seeing her happy face in the kitchen before she runs off to school. I miss walking in to the shower after her and having the bathroom smell of her soap."

"That last one's a little creepy, bro." Andrew broke the depressive mood, and Darien couldn't help but laugh a little. "So today's the middle mark, huh? You've exactly one year left of your Harvard scholarship." Darien nodded slowly in response before Andrew continued, "Summer break is coming up... you should take a break and come home."

"Mmm... we'll see." Darien too, gave a non-committal answer, much to Andrew's disappointment. "I'm pretty busy."

"But-"

"It's getting pretty late here, Drew." Darien interrupted, awkwardly. "I've gotta get up early..." He excused himself, chuckling a little sheepishly. "Good talk! Chat with you again soon, okay bye!" He ended the call before Andrew could protest any further.

* * *

Darien looked up at the wall clock in his laboratory. It read 8:14PM. He had been there for almost 12 hours already and knew he was probably going to be in the lab for at least another three; preparing gels and checking on his cultures. It was tiring and tedious work, but he enjoyed it and knew that in the end, it would all be worth it if he could save lives. Darien rubbed his weary eyes and sat down momentarily. He felt exhausted and rested his head down on the bench-top, just to give his bloodshot eyes a momentary time-out.

Less than ten minutes later, sirens could be heard blaring in the distance as the local police station became swamped with reports of a 'masked bandit dressed all in black, with a cape and top hat', breaking into houses and stealing heirloom jewels. A number of large and small jewellers and pawn stores were also targeted throughout the night, cleared of all large and precious gemstone pieces. The bandit, also dubbed the 'Phantom Jewel Thief' broke in to properties indiscriminately, in an almost flawless and graceful manner. He was quick to travel, leading the authorities to believe that it was the job of a crime syndicate, rather than the act of merely one man, but witnesses reported seeing the Phantom Jewel Thief display supernatural powers, often soaring through the night sky and bounding in and out of buildings with lightning fast speed and physical strength not possessed by any normal human.

The one descriptive detail of the bandit that all witnesses seemed to agree upon, were his eerie eyes. Although he wore a white domino mask to shield his identity, the Phantom Thief possessed the most startling cobalt blue eyes that seemed electrically charged. They glowed in the darkness, much like a cat staring back at a set of headlights. Although his eyes smouldered with blue leaping flames reflected within his irises, they remained an icy shade of indifference and apathy.

His actions showed a ruthless determination and he seemed to display a wanton disregard for the safety of anybody who stood in his way. It didn't matter whether or not they were male or female, young or old, if they stood in his way, he would fight them until they no longer proved to be a threat to his objectives. His every step was fluid and calculated, yet his eyes held no emotion and at times, it seemed almost like he was stuck in a trance-like state. Manipulated. Robotic. Possessed.

* * *

"Luna, it's been almost a year, and we still haven't been able to find the last rainbow crystal." Ami analysed the golden Star Locket with her hand scanner. "Do you think it could be located somewhere outside of Japan?"

"Perhaps... Perhaps Darien has the right idea." Luna mused, as she and Artemis both looked up from their research. "What if the last rainbow crystal carrier is in America, which is why he left?"

"But Darien left to study at Harvard." Ami interjected. "If he's right, then surely that has to be a coincidence. All the other crystal carriers have been located in Japan."

"We've searched every corner of Japan, Ami." Luna shrugged. She couldn't help but feel a little helpless. They were all exhausted from searching for the ever elusive Moon Princess, but none more so than Artemis and Luna. Both had spent endless nights poring over old manuscripts and backtracking from dead end leads. It seemed that no matter how hard they tried, they always ended up going around in circles. All the while, the Dark Kingdom was amassing an army of daemons in the darkness, corrupting the souls of innocent civilians and spewing waves of monsters in an endless strike to distract the Sailor Soldiers whilst their dark leader, Queen Metallia gathered her strength.

"Fate works in mysterious ways..." Artemis sighed, rubbing a paw over his weary eyes.

Ami analysed a cluster of algorithms scrolling down the screen, stopping at one in particular. She isolated a small segment and copied it into the script of her program before clicking to run it. The screen flashed a dark purple and the computer's processors seemed to roar, straining to compute the strings of data Ami had pre-programed. Beside the computer sat the star locket, which mysteriously flipped open at that moment, playing its haunting melody to the anxiously silent room. Somewhere beside Artemis, an invisible force began to pull him closer, but he resisted, grabbing hold of Ami just as a strange sliver of light appeared in mid-air. It stretched and swirled, growing ever larger as it engulfed a large portion if the control room.

"What in the world is that?!" Luna extended her claws, gripping on to the desk as she felt the gravitational pull of the swirling vortex.

Ami transformed before analysing the anomaly through her Mercury visor. "It seems to be some sort of doorway or portal."

"To what?" Artemis watched as the glowing portal grew larger exponentially, looming closer to the three of them at an alarming rate.

"I- I don't know," Sailor Mercury admitted, her visor displaying a number of irrational, constantly changing readings. "But I'm pretty sure we're about to find ou-"

* * *

_Beep beep beep beep_

"What's that noise?" Mina looked up from her magazine to eye down Serena's handbag curiously.

"Has it really been that long since we've detected a rainbow crystal carrier? It's my Moon Wand." Serena leaped, pouncing at her bag. She rummaged through it momentarily before turning it upside down and letting its contents spill onto the carpeted floor of her room. "I wonder why it's going off all of a sudden."

"Uh... I'm guessing because it's detected a rainbow crystal carrier?" Mina continued to thumb through her magazine for a brief moment, like the beeping alarm didn't bother her in the slightest bit. "That's what that noise is supposed to mean, right?"

"But, it hasn't sounded for almost a year now." Serena gingerly held her moon wand in her hand, staring at the object curiously.

"You don't think it's broken, do you?" The red ribboned blonde watched as Serena flicked at her Moon Wand, tapping to check if it was a false alarm. "Where's the signal coming from?"

Serena pointed the wand in front of her as she slowly turned around, listening to the pitch and frequency of the beeps. She stopped, noting the signal was stronger when she pointed south.

Eventually, Mina slowly closed her glossy magazine, sitting up from her spot on Serena's bed. "What's that way?"

"A lot of things, Mina." Serena frowned in thought, before realisation dawned upon her. "But more notably, Haneda Airport is that way."

"The airport?" Mina scratched her head before a bolt of genius hit her. "That might explain why the Moon Wand's only reacting now, after a year. The carrier has been out of the country!"

"We need to hurry." Serena grabbed her coat before running for the door. "Andrew's at the airport as we speak. Reika just came home from being in Africa for a year."

. . .

"Rei, Lita, we need back up a.s.a.p. I can't get in touch with Ami, but I've detected the last rainbow crystal carrier at the airport. Mina and I have only just arrived, and it looks like the Dark Kingdom's beat us once again." Serena contacted her fellow Sailor Soldiers through her communicator.

"Venus power!" Mina hollered in the background as she transformed and leaped straight into battle, aiming her golden chain at the unleashed Dark Kingdom warrior. It was then that she noticed Andrew lying unconscious nearby. She was so distracted by her finding that she didn't see Rikoukeidar collect her attack in an oversized flask only to hurl it back at the blonde warrior of love and justice. Venus shrieked in agony as her own chain engulfed her and she fell to the ground.

Andrew slowly roused, regaining consciousness from being attacked by Zoisite earlier. Taking the next open opportunity and using Zoisite's gloating overconfidence against him, Andrew abruptly leaped to his feet, hurling himself at the Dark Kingdom General to knock the blue rainbow crystal away from his grasp. Zoisite roared in shock as he hurled a dark energy orb at Andrew, hitting him square in the chest and sending him flying halfway across the carpark to land at the feet of the creature that used to be his girlfriend.

"Rikoukeidar, kill him." Zoisite ordered as he turned his attention to the ground in search of the blue crystal that had been tackled out of his possession. Rikoukeidar obeyed her master's commands, picking Andrew up by the neck and holding him up above the ground. Andrew groaned, sputtering and choking as he desperately gasped for air. Her fingers squeezed tightly in response.

"R-Reika..." Andrew called out to the Dark Kingdom warrior. "It's me... it's your Andy... please remember me, Reika"

Serena threw her hand up in the air, yelling out her transformation phrase. At this point in time, she no longer cared who was around to hear or see her. Alter ego be damned, her cousin was about to die at the hands of his girlfriend and Venus was lying unconscious on the ground, bleeding from the head. Crimson ribbons surrounded her body as her clothes seemingly vanished, only to be replaced with her Sailor uniform.

"Hold it right-"

"Sailor Moon." Zoisite interrupted her token speech with a whirlwind of paper thin, razor sharp cherry blossoms. "I've been wondering how long it would take for you to show up." She was trapped. The more she struggled, the more she stirred the petals into a frantic slicing frenzy.

"Sure, fight it some more. Just like quicksand, you'll only kill yourself faster." He let out an ear splitting laugh as he watched the chaos unfold.

"Reika..." Andrew continued to plead, trying to get through to his girlfriend. Sailor Moon watched, desperately helpless as Andrew struggled to his knees after being thrown against a wall. "Reika, I won't give up on you..." Rikoukeidar, unfazed by his words, hurled a test tube at Andrew's feet. Almost immediately, his feet became engulfed with a swarm of microorganisms, holding him down to the ground firmly as Rikoukeidar prepared her final attack. Her right hand transformed into an enlarged scalpel, and with a heartless smirk, she lunged toward the injured and defenceless Andrew.

"NO!" Sailor Moon screamed at the top of her lungs and as she did, time seemed to slow to a grinding halt around her. She struggled against the pain of the sharp cherry blossoms piercing and puncturing her skin as she stepped through Zoisite's whirlwind attack.

For the briefest of moments, a crescent shape formed on Sailor Moon's forehead, and from it poured the brightest flash of blinding white light. Her hair seemed to shimmer a light silver colour in the moonlight, as her eyes turned a brilliant haunting blue hue, glowing eerily through the darkness. Her delicate fingers traced the form of a long white staff, grasping it firmly in her hands as her experienced fingers twirled it, gaining brief momentum before she slammed it down onto the ground. The force of her attack discharged ripples of energy, flattening everything and everyone within a hundred metre radius, setting off car alarms, tearing down street signs and instantly draining the white dressed warrior of all her energy.

Andrew was the first to regain consciousness and he tried to leap to his feet, stumbling a number of times, feeling disoriented and drunk from the blast. His body ached and in his hands, he grasped the blue rainbow crystal. Falling to his knees, he crawled over to where Reika laid.

"Reika..." He held her in his arms. Her body was almost as battered and bruised as his, but she was breathing. "Reika, I love you." Andrew's voice cracked with unshed tears as he whispered into her hair and held her tight. A movement in the corner of his eyes caught his attention and he released the love of his life, resting her carefully on the ground. Slowly limping over toward Serena's unconscious body, he reached over and picked up the long staff wedged into the earth. As though it could read his intentions, the rod transformed in his hands, morphing into a silver broadsword. Andrew's breaths were reduced to a struggling, laboured wheeze and he knew he had broken a number of ribs. His eyes held no remorse as he made his way to the maimed Zoisite, lifting the sword up and disposing of the Dark Kingdom general once and for all, before collapsing to his knees and falling unconscious once more.

By the time Sailors Mars and Jupiter had arrived, the battle was over. All they found were the unconscious bodies Reika, Andrew, Sailor Venus and Serena, and the disposed Dark Kingdom general, Zoisite. The Moon Wand lay on his chest.

"What in the world happened?" Jupiter turned to her flame wielding counterpart, neither one could tear their eyes away from the scene of destruction and devastation.

"It's like a small bomb went off..." Mars read the cracks in the ground, tracing them back to a single point. "...and it looks like Serena was the source."

* * *

Darien groaned out loud as he yawned and sat up slowly. Running his fingers through his dark hair, he looked around, waiting for his eyes to refocus.

"What..." His brows knitted together into a deep frown as soon as he realised he was sitting on the floor of his laboratory. A cool draft wafted through, drawing his attention toward the broken window. Rising to his feet, he leant on the bench top until his wobbly knees were ready to take his full weight. Among the shattered shards of window and broken petri dishes lay a string of pearls.

Had someone broken in? Did they knock him out? Was any of the laboratory equipment missing or damaged? What in the world happened? Why couldn't he remember anything? Darien continued to look around the laboratory. A steady stream of loose gems, pearls and small diamonds lead a path toward the shattered glass window, but the only thing that seemed to be damaged were the petri dishes that Darien had been working on earlier that night. He reached into his lab coat to pull out his pocket watch, only to grasp hold of a cluster of gems and necklaces that had somehow mysteriously been stuffed into his pockets.

"What in the world?" Darien emptied his pockets onto a nearby bench top. His head throbbed but he pressed on, trying to piece together his last thoughts and memories. "Where did all this come from?" His migraine began to pulsate and he clutched at the bench, trying to steady himself before it dawned upon him. The last time he had blacked out completely and woken up with a handful of diamonds was before Sailor Moon had entered the scene... back when his transformations were being controlled by his deep subconscious desire to find the Silver Crystal. He groaned out loud, wondering how many people he had unknowingly injured or even killed this time, before his phone rang, snapping him out of his deeply guilty state. His fingers trembled with uncertainty and confusion as he swiped the screen and held it up to his ear.

"Darien?" He was so wrapped up in his own disjointed thoughts that he barely noticed the concern in Mina's voice, on the other end of the line.

"What is it, Mina? I'm a little busy at the moment..." Darien murmured, staring down at all the jewellery strewn across his lab, and the broken glass window. How was he going to explain this all?

"We've found the last Rainbow Crystal." Mina's statement gained his full attention. "Reika was the carrier. Both she and Andrew were hurt pretty badly."

"How's Serena?" His heart skipped a beat. Something told him that things were no longer within the realm of normal.

"She took a turn for the worst." Mina informed sternly. "She wouldn't wake up after the battle, so we had to take her to the hospital. Andrew told them about her symptoms over the last few months... but not about the Sailor Soldier stuff, obviously. The doctors are worried that she's been suffering from thunderclap headaches or something, so they're running MRI scans as we speak, but otherwise, she's in a stable condition."

"Are they checking for subarachnoid haemorrhaging or thrombosis?"

"Darien!" Mina interrupted the nervously rambling man, "Do you think that_ I_ would know what any of that even means?!"

"I'm sorry, Mina... I guess I've been working at the hospital too much." Darien rubbed his temples with his free hand. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Mina admitted. "The Moon Wand sounded, so Serena and I traced the Rainbow Crystal carrier to the airport car park where we found Reika transformed into a monster and Andrew passed out on the floor near her. I attacked her and she sent it right back at me and I was down and out. Apparently Sailor Moon was trapped by Zoisite as Andrew was being attacked, but the last thing he remembered before waking up by Reika's side was Serena screaming and a blinding white light. No one knows who turned Reika back, or what happened after that, but whatever it was, it created a shallow impact crater a hundred metres wide.

"Do you think it could have been the Moon Princess?" Darien drummed his fingers along the lab bench top.

"I... I don't know." The blonde teen shrugged. "I would've thought that if it was, she probably would have hung around a little longer, right? And besides, we haven't even found the Silver Crystal yet." She added before quickly jumping topics. "Andrew told me that you had somehow teleported back to Japan."

"I didn't teleport." Darien replied, "At least, I don't think I did..."

"Whatever it was… do you think you could do it again?" Mina's voice held a certain hopeful tone to it. "Serena didn't seem to have any headaches or strange nose bleeds for a week after you appeared and disappeared again."

"Huh…" Darien paused in thought for a moment, trying to ignore the wreck of a laboratory around him. "Funny you should mention that… neither did I."

"So, do you think you could teleport back?" Mina pleaded. "I think she really needs you to be by her side now. Whatever is happening, it seems to be affecting the two of you, and now that we've found the last Rainbow Crystal, I think something pretty big is about to go down."

"I don't think I could…" Darien admitted. "It's too risky, and I don't think I have any control over it."

"Oh..." Darien listened as Mina let out a small, disappointed sigh. "I see..." She nodded. "Well... I guess I'll just keep in touch then."

"Mina, believe me, I want to help but I kind of have my own important matters to deal with right now. I'll try to be there as soon as I can, but I can't promise anything."

"That's fine, Darien. I'll leave you to it, then." Mina hung up her phone, abruptly ending the call. He had heard that phrase and tone enough from Serena to know that things were not '_fine_', but he was already formulating a plan in his mind. It involved calling the police, reporting a violent failed robbery at his laboratory, and finding his passport.

* * *

. . .

So... Andrew was a little more kick-ass in this one (yay!) and Ami, Luna and Artemis disappeared (gasp!) I also included a bit of a throwback to manga Tuxedo Mask, as the Phantom Jewel Thief, for those of you who are familiar with the Manga.

Thank you for all your words of encouragement and support re: my lost works and broken USB, and all your warm birthday wishes =D For those of you who add me on facebook, I'll post up a picture of my poor USB... unfortunately, unlike the traditional metal ones, this one was plastic... and unless I can somehow re-connect all the copper chip pathways, it's a gonner. Alas... We'll just have to forge on and write from memory and heart, right? We can't give up now!

Anywho, the next chapter should be up soon =)

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	38. Reunited! The Princess Makes the Scene

As promised, here's the long awaited chapter 38. Unfortunately (or fortunately) though, it turned out long enough for three chapters... so I broke it up in to two long ones. So consider this, chapter 28, part 1.

**There is adult content in this chapter.** If you'd rather not read it, then skip the paragraphs beginning with the asterisks (*******)

_**Thanks to:**_ sarahbellie, bluebutterfly2006, Miss Katrina Malfoy, Twiggirl006, Artemis630, kbtjmandy, smfan4ever72, Miss Moon Rose, Kasienda, Serena, Guest, MsAmyRobertson, MinnieMoosi, crazyperson-pop, duogirl87, Princess Ess, Wonderwomanbatmanfan, Polevault Princess, moon86, l1s44p, SailorMoon489, KHLostEmpress, natashasurgirl, _**and**_ kera69love_** for reviewing the previous chapter**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated: M 15+  
****Chapter:** 28 – The Princess Makes the Scene

"Here we are now with the falling sky and the rain,  
We're awakening"  
_-[Switchfoot]_

_._

"I came as soon as I could. What happened, Darien? Are you alright?"

"Dr. Hughes," Darien stood up from the lab stool, acknowledging his supervisor. "I was just telling these officers how some guy in a mask and cape broke in here and tried to steal my pocket watch while I was working late. I tried to stop him and managed to throw in a few punches of my own, but he got away."

"Just to clarify, Mr. Chiba," One of the officers tapped on his notepad. "He broke in through that window there?"

"Yes." Darien nodded. "He hit it with some sort of stick... like a walking cane, but he was far from being an invalid."

"And he just left these jewels behind?" The officer continued to question.

"Well, I guess he dropped them behind when I wrestled with him, I don't know where he got them from. I assume he stole them."

"It looks like most of it is here." The second officer surveyed the list of stolen property that he had obtained. "What you did was very brave, Mr. Chiba, and the city of Boston thanks you. If you don't mind, we'll send the forensics team in to investigate the laboratory a little further, but that's all we really need from you now."

"And the Phantom Jewel Thief?" Dr. Hughes queried. "Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"Well, it seems that he might have cut himself on the window when he broke in. The forensic team will analyse the blood from the window glass and we'll see if we can match it up to somebody in the database." The first police officer informed. Unbeknownst to him, while Darien was reporting the break in, he swabbed a sample of blood, donated by a now deceased volunteer that he was using for his analysis, and smeared it across a few shards of glass. With any luck, Darien prayed that the blood donor lived by the law and had no prior convictions.

"Good luck finding him." Darien shook the hands of the police officers before they continued their investigations.

"You should take some time off, Darien." Dr. Hughes placed a gentle hand on Darien's shoulders.

"I-I can't right now." The dark haired student shook his head. "I've still got so much to do, and now that my dishes are broken, I'll have to start the last run again."

"Which is more reason why you should take a break." Dr Hughes insisted. "You're clearly shaken by all this, as anybody would be. Take some time off to settle yourself, before coming back and starting again. You've been through a lot tonight, and you'll probably be in shock for a while longer."

"I think I'll manage fine." Darien crossed his arms in order to look as though he was hiding his 'shaky' hands.

"Darien, go home. You haven't taken any breaks since you got here. Not even over Christmas. Something like this can really affect your work in the lab if you don't give yourself some time to settle. Go and see that girlfriend you keep telling us about. Take some time off and come back with a clear head... or at least think about it."

"I guess." Darien ran his fingers through his hair and sighing deeply.

* * *

"Are you certain you're going to be alright?" Andrew fluffed another pillow and placed it behind Reika's back. "Shall I pick up some take-out on the way home? Maybe I'll cook you something for dinner..."

"Andy, I'll be fine!" Reika frowned, waving her hands in a shoo-ing gesture, "You're smothering me... also you really shouldn't be going to work in your condition. Two bruised ribs and a concussion..."

"It's been a day since I was discharged, I'm totally fine. Besides, it's too late notice to change my shift." Andrew reassured his girlfriend. "I'll keep to light duties."

"Or... you could stay in bed with me today..." Reika winked. "It is our first day together for a year, and I checked my schedule... it looks like there are no plans to get caught up in airport security anti-terrorist training-gone-wrong-activities." She poked her tongue out. "How did that even happen? We walked straight into their live bomb diffusing training?"

"You still don't remember anything?" Andrew frowned. He remembered every detail... but of course, it hadn't been him that turned into a shadow warrior.

"Nothing after picking up my bags from the terminal carousel." Reika admitted, scratching the side of her head in thought.

Andrew nodded slowly, murmuring under his breath, "It's probably for the best."

* * *

Darien stepped off the Boeing aircraft after his 16 hour long flight with a long sigh and a deep breath. He was jetlagged and incredibly tired, and found himself wandering around aimlessly in the airport terminal for a moment before stopping to regain his bearings and focus. Baggage claim. That's where he needed to go first. Once sorted and organised, he walked out of Tokyo international airport and hailed down a taxi.

Andrew was busy refilling paper tokens into a whack-a-mole game machine when Darien walked in, wheeling his luggage bag behind him. The dark haired man walked straight up to the counter of the unusually quiet arcade, setting his bag and coat down.

"What does a guy have to do to get some decent coffee around here?" Darien called out as he repeatedly tapped his hand down on the silver service bell, earning Andrew's immediate and somewhat irritated attention.

"The sign says ring once- oh." Andrew wiped his hands on his apron, standing up from behind the machine, only to recognise the face of the irksome customer as none other than his own best friend; his trademark mischievously sly grin spread across his face. Andrew glanced over at the luggage bag and frowned slightly. "You didn't tell me you were coming back! What are you doing back in Tokyo so soon?" The blonde reached over to greet his friend with a hug. "You weren't kicked out of Harvard, were you?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Darien shook his head slowly. "Harvard is an institute of incredibly smart individuals; they know they'd be complete fools to let me go." He added, earning a chuckle from Andrew who shuffled behind the counter to prepare Darien's regular coffee. "No, I heard about Reika." Darien's tone became solemn. "Mina told me."

"Ah... yes." Andrew took that opportunity to pull his cell phone out of his pocket, checking for any messages from his girlfriend. "Well, you really didn't have to come back just for that." Andrew shot his friend a grateful smile nevertheless. "Reika's already kicking and screaming that she's well enough and wants to go back to work, and despite my best efforts to nurse her back to health, she seems to already be well enough to be scolding me for pandering and treating her like a cripple." Andrew let out a small chuckle.

"I know, but I thought I should be here anyway, to make sure you're holding up well too." Darien sipped away at his coffee. "Oh man... that's the stuff..." He lifted his cup to his mouth and swallowed huge mouthfuls. "The coffee in America is horrible."

"You seem to be talking to Mina quite frequently these days." Andrew took that opportunity to lead the conversation. The blonde haired man had wondered for a while now about their strange long-distance telephone relationship, and what they had to talk to each other about. "Has Mina told you that Serena's planning to move out at the end of the year?" Andrew made the executive decision not to pry into Darien and Mina's relationship, just in case it had developed into something that he wouldn't be happy hearing about.

Darien shook his head slowly. "I haven't heard anything about that."

"Well... after Serena regained consciousness from the fight, she suddenly decided that she was going to move out of the apartment, back to her mother in Akita." Andrew explained.

"But, why?"

"I guess she didn't feel the need to stay here any longer." The blonde man shrugged. "Perhaps she just wanted to be closer to her family. Maybe she just wanted to take a break from Tokyo. I have a feeling that now all the Rainbow Crystals have been found, she feels like her mission to find the Moon Princess is drawing to a close… and I think she's trying to avoid standing face to face with your soul mate." A long pause fell between the two men, before Andrew continued. "Are you going to try and stop her?"

"I don't know." Darien shrugged. "How can I? She won't listen to me." He stared into his mug of coffee in deep contemplation, as though his cup of brew would give him the answers he sought, but only if he stared hard enough.

"I think she'll listen to you if you asked her to stay." Andrew leaned against the counter. "The two of you are way overdue for a heart-to-heart. You'd have a better chance of convincing her to stay if you laid everything out on the table and was completely honest with her."

Darien drew in a deep breath and exhaled just as heavily. "Is she at home?"

"Yes." Andrew nodded. "She should be packing as we speak." He watched as his best friend gulped down the last of his coffee before he rose to his feet again, taking his luggage bag in his hands. "Dar," Andrew questioned. He decided in that moment that he needed to know. Darien briefly furrowed his brows and tilted his head to the side in a return gesture of silent curiosity. "Do you still have feelings for my cousin?"

Darien frowned at the question for a brief second. "Yes, of course." He shrugged as though the answer was blatantly obvious. "Why else would I be here?"

Andrew let out a small chuckle as he watched his best friend walk out the arcade doors. "'_Heard about Reika'_ my fat butt. We both know you're here for 'Rena." He mumbled under his breath. "_By the way, Andrew, how are your bruised ribs?_ Yeah, pretty sore, thanks for asking." He continued his mocking tone for a little while longer.

* * *

Darien slipped his key into the front door, turning it and hearing the mechanisms in the lock click and shift. He wheeled his bag into the apartment, setting it down beside a pile of cardboard boxes, addressed to _Ikuko Tsukino_ in Akita prefecture.

"Andy, are you home already?" Serena called out from her room as she heard a set of keys drop into the key bowl at the front door. "I was thinking-" Her voice stalled mid-sentence as she dropped the box she was carrying at the sight of the man standing before her. She stopped dead in her tracks. Was she seeing things? For a moment she had convinced herself that she was delusional. She was seeing the ghost of her former roommate, standing in the entranceway to their apartment.

"Hey, Sere." He greeted simply and smiled.

"Hi..." she returned. She couldn't manage anything grander or more in depth, for her heart was beating in overdrive and her mind was lost in a fog of millions of silent questions. In the minute that it took her to realise he was truly standing before her, Serena had experienced almost every extremity of elation and anger that could be imaginable. Her heart sang merrily, but her mind warned not to trust him and not to get close. Eventually, her brain won out in the tug of war of feelings and questions. "A-are you home... for good?"

His smile faltered and her heart sank immediately in response. "No... I'm only back for ten days." An awkward silence fell between them as Serena lowered her gaze, struggling to think of what to say next. "You're disappointed..." Darien observed, knowing her expressions even though she tried her hardest to put on her poker face. It pissed her off; how easily he could read her.

"No, I'm not." She frowned, shaking her head vigorously. "It's not like I didn't expect you to leave me... _ again_." She hadn't meant to say it, but the words slipped from her mouth nonetheless.

Darien was taken aback by her sudden abrupt remark. He definitely hadn't expected this type of welcoming committee. Sure, he expected that she would still harbour some anger and lingering resentment towards him for leaving like he did, but he knew she still had feelings for him, and he had hoped that her happiness to see him would have overridden any anger. "A little bit of the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think, Sere?" Darien motioned toward the cardboard boxes of belongings stacked by the front door. "Who's leaving who here?"

"That's different." Serena stuttered her poorly executed defence.

"Oh, really?" Darien could see her mind silently grasping, clutching at any possible retaliation. "It looks like you're moving, Sere. And when were you hoping to tell me about this?"

"Yeah... well... You started this!" She cringed at how immature he was making her sound, making her feel. "What are you even doing here?"

"I live here." Darien stated simply as he casually kicked his shoes off and slipped his feet into his slippers. "This is my apartment." He raised an eyebrow at the blonde girl and struggled to keep his expression neutral at the sight of her annoyance.

"I know that." Serena's voice flattened as she bent down to pick up her box, only to be beaten to it by Darien. "Aren't you supposed to be in America? Why-" He could see through her poor attempt to deflect and place the focus back on him.

"Where are you moving to?" Darien pressed on.

"I... I'm moving back in with mama at the end of the year." Serena grabbed the box back from Darien, placing it on top of the small stack accumulating at the door. No matter how hard she tried to maintain a strong stance, the way he watched her steadily and pressed on with his own questions unnerved her. He seemed to be back to the old Darien; the one who didn't care about hurting her feelings or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, the one who was blunt and always straight to the point. "I thought that it would be wise to start sending all the things I don't really need now."

"But your senior year is next year." Darien crossed his arms, frowning slightly. "Why would you move right before your senior year?"

"I think..." Serena felt her cheeks become flustered under the unwavering gaze of Darien's stare. "I think it would be for the best." She nodded, feeling as though she was doing a better job of convincing herself.

"I think it's a really stupid idea." Darien quipped back. "The reason why you moved in here in the first place was so you could finish high school in Tokyo. Your mother wanted you to get a good education, and the best chance of gaining entry to a good university. Moving house and changing schools right before your senior year is pretty much like throwing all your mothers hopes for you in the trash and setting it alight."

"Why do you care?!" Serena began to feel agitated by his comments. It was almost as though he was intentionally being abrasive to try to hurt her. "It's none of your business what I do, anyway."

"I care because I don't want you to go." His tone remained cold, and yet his words hinted at something more. There he went again, talking in riddles and contradictions. It frustrated Serena to no end, but more than anything, it always made her feel conflicted and confused.

"Is that why you're here? To stop me from leaving?" She asked quietly.

"Of course not." Darien turned his head and broke eye contact, feeling his cheeks begin to burn slightly with embarrassment. It frustrated him, because all through the 16 hour flight from Boston, to New York, to Tokyo, all he could think about was what he was going to say when he finally saw her again. This was turning out nothing like what he had planned. It seemed as though they were simply falling back to old routines of hostility and conflict. Why was it so hard for him to simply tell her exactly how he felt? Why did he always feel compelled to either push her away or start an argument? "I heard about Reika..."

"I see." Serena nodded slowly. "Well then..." She cleared her throat. "If you want to visit her, she's resting at her apartment. I'm sure Andy would be more than happy to go along with you after his shift. He has practically lived there ever since that night." Serena's fingers fidgeted with nervous energy, drawing Darien's attention to the fact that she was still wearing his charm bracelet around her wrist. She still cared about him. She had to. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to packing."

"Serena, wait." Darien reached for Serena's hand and her body stopped, frozen in its place at the feel of his touch. It was like a jolt of electric energy hummed through her body, making her feel strangely hot and fuzzy all over. She frowned, nibbling nervously on her bottom lip as the moments began to draw out and her heart beat heavily in her chest. She could feel his fingers toying with hers ever so gently, as though they were exploring new ways of holding her.

"I don't want you to go." His voice seemed gentle and sincere. "I mean, if you really don't want to see me right now, then I'll sleep at the arcade until the time comes for me to fly back to America. But please, just stay here. Don't move away."

Serena slowly pulled her hand away from his. Space. Space was what she needed. His every touch intoxicated her and distorted her senses. "Why are you so adamant about me staying?"

"Because…." Darien took an unconscious step forward causing Serena to subsequently take two steps back to maintain the distance. "Because if you move out, it won't just be your things you'll be taking with you. You'll also take with you any chance for us to make new memories together, and you'll take my happiness with you. If you move out, I don't know how I'll get that back."

"I'll leave a forwarding address." Serena responded coolly, watching as his expression reflected the look of a maimed puppy. "This is ridiculous." She threw her hands up in to the air in exasperation. "I'm so completely sick of this. All this back and forth between us; it's exhausting. One moment you're a complete jerk to me, then the next you're the sweetest, most caring man I've ever met, and in the blink of an eye you're back to being an ass again." Serena began to pace back and forth, brimming with months of pent up frustration. "You're always so hot and cold and I never know if it's because of something I've said or done, or if it's because you're bipolar or something. I never know how to act or feel around you because I can never keep up with what mood you're in. I don't know what you want, Darien! You're asking me to stay now, but what about in 5 minutes time? Will you change your mind then? What is it you want from me?"

"You're not leaving." His statement held a strong tone of assertion and finality.

"Excuse me?" Serena turned to face him. His eyes reflected a determined dominance as he stared back. Was he challenging her? The blonde teen could feel her levels of outrage rising in response.

"You're not going anywhere." Darien repeated, taking hold of her wrist. "I know what this is about. You're trying to give me a taste of my own medicine. Well, let me tell you something, Sere. I'm not playing your little game. We're both too old for this. You're not moving out." He watched as her eyes glowered momentarily in response.

The petite blonde stared up at the dark haired man, extremely bewildered. He seemed so forceful and demanding. It reminded her that beneath his sweet, gentle polaroid sending self; underneath it all; he still had the power and persuasion of a the Earth Prince. Perhaps that was why he seemed so scattered, with mood swings all over the place. Perhaps Darien was struggling with his other persona. It was almost as though he was fighting to sort out all his conflicting feelings. Could it be that she was seeing glimpses of his alter egos? His possessiveness over her reminded her of Tuxedo Mask, and she bit her lip nervously as she began to recall all their fiery, passionate meetings.

"You can't tell me what to do." Serena feigned strength and confidence as she watched his indigo blue eyes seem to smoulder. She yanked her hand away from his grip, crossing her arms defensively like a shield across her chest. He took a slow step forward and she subtly shuffled back until her shoulders bumped the wall behind her. He had her right where he wanted her now. Darien knew full well that Serena had her bluffing stance on. She was acting tough in order to try to disguise the fact that he was intimidating her, and intimidating was exactly what he was trying to be. He needed to break down any and all barriers if he would stand a chance of trying to make this work. This was his chance. This was his one opportunity to turn the game around, and if he played his cards right, he would change the dynamic of their relationship forever.

He continued his slow stalk towards her until he was close enough to place an arm on either side of Serena's shoulders. He trapped her up against the wall, gaining her full attention as he towered over her petite frame. His deep blue eyes met hers and he leant in to whisper into her ear, "I can be very convincing."

The familiar scent of his cologne filled her nostrils and the tantalising feeling of his breath dancing along the sensitive skin of her neck caused Serena to suck in a ragged breath. She all but melted in his arms, almost forgetting that she had just been angry at him. "God, Darien..." came her whispered response. He smirked, pressing his lips against the petal soft skin of her neck before pulling away slightly and relishing in the sounds of her contented moans. "What are you doing to me?"

"Don't go, Sere." Darien grazed his lips against Serena's collarbone and she shuddered beneath him. He couldn't explain it. It was so out of character for them both to be acting like this, but there was just something so natural about it that it almost felt like his body was being taken over. "I don't want you to forget me." He momentarily pulled himself away from leaving trails of butterfly kisses along her shoulder and neck, to look deep into her eyes. "I don't know what it is, but I like knowing that you're here. It might sound crazy, but the only thing that kept me going while I was away, was the thought of coming home and having you there, waiting for me." He added, "I don't want to come home to an empty apartment, but what I hate the most is the thought of you moving on, without me."

"That's..." Serena's heart clouded over with doubt as she struggled away from Darien's grasp, pushing him away to create some distance between the two. "That's the most selfish thing I have ever heard." She held her hand up as he took a step toward her. It was almost as though the space between them was necessary in order to prevent her from being dangerously pulled in and consumed by him.

Their relationship was like the Earth and the Moon. They were both bound to each other, and she was unable to escape his instinctive magnetic pull. No matter how hard she tried to push him away, she always found herself drawing closer again... and yet, neither one were willing to take the risk of getting too close for fear that the repercussions could be disastrous for both. For if the Moon were to crash in to the Earth, it would destroy them. But perhaps that's what they both wanted. Perhaps it's what they needed.

"Sere-" Darien attempted to explain, but was interrupted.

"Darien, did you ever stop to think what it's been like for me?" Serena refused to let him speak, knowing that if he did, she would never again have the opportunity to get it all off her chest. "I've had to live with your empty room across from mine for a year. I've walked home from work alone, without a single hot chocolate or milkshake, or the comfort and safety of knowing that somebody else was there to protect me. I have stood up on that rooftop and been haunted by the memory of every single romantic thing you have done, and of all our moonlit kisses. Every time I looked down at my hand, I saw the bracelet you gave to me. Every time I looked in the mirror, I saw your necklace." Serena tilted her head up slightly, refusing to let her watery eyes shed any tears. "You left me, after making me fall for you, and you convinced me that you were the most incredible, romantic man on Earth. Did you ever stop to think about how hard it was for me to live with your ghost in this apartment?"

"Sere, you're not the only one who's haunted." Darien began softly. "Ever since I moved away, every time I closed my eyes, I saw your face. Every night I'd go to bed and I'd see you in my dreams... holding my hand, in my arms, by my side, laughing with me. It was almost like the Oneiroi were punishing me by showing me the life I could have had with you by my side. You have no idea how much I hated waking up in the morning, and how much I missed you." He watched as Serena seemed to hang on each and every word that escaped his lips. "I used to dream of the princess... but now, every night, it's been you that I dream of... and I wish I could explain to you just how vivid and intense each delicate, intimate touch was but..." Darien's voice faded away as he noticed the expression change on Serena's face. A crimson glow spread from her chest, up her neck, and eventually radiated across her cheeks as she looked away in embarrassment. "But it seems you already know." He finished in curious disbelief. It seemed as though she was feeling just as flustered as he was at the thought of his dreams. "Sere, have you been dreaming about me too?"

"What? No!" She defended a little too quickly, her face still flushed with embarrassment. Try as she might, she just couldn't maintain eye contact with him.

"Serena, have you been having dreams about us... together... intimately?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Serena refused to make eye contact. "In fact, your perviness is starting to creep me out." He knew she was lying to him. She could never lie, especially not to him. Darien had had strange feelings about his dreams of late. There was something too candid about the way Serena spoke and acted in his dreams. Perhaps... no, it wouldn't be possible... could it? Were they having the same shared dreams?

There was only one way to test his theory. "Maybe this will jog your memory." Darien abruptly pulled Serena closer to his body as he leant down and pressed his lips against hers. Tilting his head to the side, he gently cradled the back of her neck with his left hand, pulling her in closer as he deepened the kiss. His right hand slowly slipped up her shirt as he caressed the soft skin of her waist, skimming his fingers across the small of her back to tease her. It seemed like madness, he was sure.

He knew that his actions would normally be considered moving much too fast, and that it was an incredibly bold thing for him to do at that point and time in their already fragile relationship, but he needed to see how she would respond. He needed to know if she had been sharing the same dreams as him. It was the exact same move that he had conducted in his dream the night before. If he was right, she would probably respond positively. If he was wrong, however, he would probably suffer a powerful blow to the side of the head.

Serena moaned responsively against his touch, clutching at the bottom of his shirt to steady her flimsy legs as she arched her back in an attempt to feel closer to him. Just like in his dream. "Endy-... Darien..." She moaned delightfully between kisses and he couldn't help himself from continuing to replay the actions in their dream.

***He gently laid her down onto the floor, not once breaking their heated kiss. His hand continued to explore slowly upward until they came across the underside of her left breast and she murmured, desperate to feel his fiery touch all over her body. Once again, she reached for his shirt, her hands desperately grabbing fistfuls as she used it to pull him down even closer. Her fingers clumsily fumbled with his buttons and eventually she succeeded in freeing him of his shirt, flinging it somewhere across the room as she let her hands roam all across his bare chest. Darien broke their kiss, only to latch his lips onto the side of her neck. He grazed the skin there lightly with his teeth and Serena gasped, pushing him off of her, only to change positions and throw herself on top of him. She flung a leg over his hips and leant down, resuming their desperate heated kisses. It was almost déjà vu as her actions mirrored those from their dream the night before.

***"So you have been having the same dreams as me." Darien attempted to verbalise between kisses. Serena simply murmured and nodded slightly. "Serena, you know this isn't a dream anymore, right?" he waited for and listened for her almost incoherent mumblings as she kissed her way along his jawline, down his neck and toward his collarbone. "Even though this is exactly how the dream last night played out, this is real now." Darien gasped slightly as he felt her gently sucking on his neck. "You have to stop. This isn't like us. This is moving much too fast and we really need to stop going along with this. You know what happens next in the dream-."

***"You mean, this?" Serena placed her lips over Darien's to stifle his protests as she lowered her hips, grinding herself against him in a sinfully teasing manner, knowing exactly how he would respond next. Darien moaned relinquishing all of his senses and he returned the kiss, slowly yet eagerly biting on her lower lip. He gripped onto her hips and held her there as he moved beneath her, grinding up against her and feeling her whole body shudder above him.

***"God, Serena. We have to stop." Darien struggled to protest; it contradicted every other muscle in his body. He gently pulled her off of him, so she lay on the floor beside him, but before he could muster up the energy to put some distance between them, his lips pressed lustfully against hers again. "Tell me to stop." He warned. Serena shook her head, relishing the feeling of his body pressing against hers.

"No." She whispered between kisses.

"This is insane. I feel like I'm… not myself. Tell me to stop." Darien moaned, feeling his will to protest and all reason begin to fly out the window as she nibbled playfully on his bottom lip.

***"I don't want to." Serena shook her head once again before flinging one of her legs over Darien's hips to straddle him once more.

***"This isn't us. You even said it yourself. We're both acting strangely. Hot and cold, right? We were just arguing not ten seconds ago-" As his words seemed to utter a protest, his hands slipped higher along her thighs and he gently caressed the curves of her bottom. "Sere, this isn't us. We've never done anything like this before."

"But it feels like we have... It just feels so..."

"Right-" At that very moment, the front door of the apartment swung open and Andrew walked in with a couple DVD rentals and some Chinese take-away. "We have steamed rice, sizzling beef, hot and spicy- oh" His gaze immediately fell to the couple tangled in a hot mess on the apartment floor. "Looks like you guys have got enough steamy, sizzling hotness already between yourselves." Andrew slowly backed up out of the apartment. "Don't mind me! Pretend I was never here. As you were." He quickly shut the door behind him.

"Oh no." Serena's heart raced triple fold at the notion of being caught in such an intimate position by her older cousin. She groaned in embarrassment as she slowly pulled her skirt back down and moved herself from on top of Darien. He rolled swiftly to his side, picking up his shirt to hastily throw it on.

"Sere, I should-"

"I know..." The blonde teen's body trembled in complete embarrassment. She cursed under her breath, wishing she could crawl into a deep hole. She had no idea what had come over her. Darien was right; it was almost as though they were being possessed. "I hope he's not mad..."

"He wouldn't be mad at you..." Darien struggled to button his shirt up, taking a brief break to rake his fingers through his tousled hair. "Me, on the other hand..."

Serena nodded, her cheeks stained red from the embarrassment of getting carried away in their steamy activities, and from being busted. "Hurry, find him."

Darien finished buttoning his shirt up and bolted for the door, but hesitated just as he stepped out of the apartment. He turned back in a heartbeat and jogged back to the still bright red looking teen. She glanced up at Darien with a slightly curious look reflected in her eyes. He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. "This isn't over yet. We still have a lot to talk about, Sere." He watched as she nodded silently, and he leant down to give her a gentle reassuring kiss on her lips. Her heart skipped a beat as she responded with a small shy smile and glanced over at the open apartment door. He took that as his signal to track down Andrew and hope to God that he didn't get beaten up getting caught in a compromising position with Andrew's kid cousin.

"Drew!" Darien's voice echoed through the apartment car park, startling the blond man as he packed the take-away dinner in the passenger side seat of his car.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Andrew frowned. "Shouldn't you be back up... you know..." He pointed upwards to emphasise his statement. "Reconciling with Serena?"

"Drew, I'm sorry you had to see that." Darien began to apologise, ensuring that he was at least two feet away from his friend. "It's really not what it looks like. I mean, I guess it was kind of a little what it looked like but I swear we weren't going to- I would never hurt her or pressure-"

"Dar! Seriously, stop!" Andrew waved his hands about. "I'm happy for the two of you, and in all honesty, I kind of expected it. You're both adults, fully capable of making your own decisions. I'm just glad you've both sorted out your feelings and are a couple now. Whatever happens after that is none of my business as long as you do the right thing. I want you both to be happy, but more than anything, I really want 'Rena to be happy, and I know you could do that for her."

"Well..." Darien cleared his throat, feeling himself becoming painfully honest under the pressure. "We're not exactly… officially... a couple yet..." He watched as Andrew's left eye twitched slightly. "I mean, we still have to talk some things through, like my Harvard scholarship and the whole Rainbow Crystal thing, but it's basically simply down to semantics."

"Just promise me that you'll talk things through before continuing where you left off back there." Andrew raised a cautionary eyebrow. "Don't be a jerk to her anymore. You told me you were in love with her right? Make sure she knows it." He watched carefully as Darien lowered his head and nodded. "By the way..." Andrew added, recalling something off the top of his head. "Aunty Ikuko told me something interesting earlier this week. She said you told her that you would visit her while you were back in Japan."

"I've been to see her already." Darien confirmed. "Lizzie and your parents say 'hi'."

"Do I want to know _why_ you went to see my family without me knowing?" Andrew pressed, albeit vaguely.

"I wanted to ask Ikuko for permission... to date Serena." The dark haired man explained simply.

"To_ date_ Serena? Is that all?" Andrew turned his head ever so slightly, squinting to read his best friend's facial expressions.

"Drew," Darien sighed, "Why are you asking me if you already know the reason why I went to Akita?"

"I'm just trying to confirm what seems to be idle gossip... or wishful thinking." Andrew casually shrugged his shoulders. The smug look on his face gave away the fact that he was, in fact, up to date with the familial gossip.

"Well... I don't know what else to tell you." Darien struggled to regain his composure under the watchful eye of his all-knowing best friend. "Just... let me talk to Serena first, okay? We have a lot to try to sort through before we officially become a couple... or if I even ask her at all."

"If you even ask her at all?!" Andrew threw his arms up into the air in exasperation.

"I'm kidding, man." A small smile spread across Darien's lips. "Don't have an aneurism. It was a joke."

. . .

The sound of Serena's communicator alarm blaring through the apartment was enough to distract her from her thoughts of Darien and Andrew's confrontation. They had been gone for a while now, which worried her. Perhaps she should search the building for Darien's bruised and beaten body.

"Serena," Artemis's voice called from the communicator as the pensive blonde flipped the palm sized device open. "Serena, we have a situation. Luna and I are calling an emergency Sailor Soldier meeting at the temple."

"Gotcha." Serena nodded firmly. "I'll be there as soon as I can." She shut the communicator and grabbed her shoulder bag, heading out the door in a matter of moments. Tapping impatiently on the elevator button, the brushed aluminium doors opened a few seconds later, and Darien walked out.

"Sere, where are you going?" He questioned, wondering if she was trying to avoid him. Had she changed her mind about them?

"Dar... you're okay." She observed his seemingly unblemished face and intact limbs before responding to his question. "Artemis just called. It seems that there's been a breakthrough with the Find-a-Princess case. I'm being summoned to an emergency Sailor Soldier meeting at Rei's temple."

"I'll drive you." Darien offered. "It'll be faster, unless you plan on transforming."

. . .

The drive was spent mostly in silence. Neither Serena nor Darien thought it would be good timing to begin discussing the intricacies of their relationship in the car on the way to the temple.

"I'll wait here." Darien rolled up in front of the temple steps and pulled his handbrake on.

"You don't have to..." Serena absentmindedly played with the charms on her bracelet. "...I might be a while."

"I'll wait for you, Sere." He reassured. Just as Serena opened the passenger side door, Darien reached over to take hold of her hand, causing her to look over at him for the first time since they entered the apartment elevator. She waited in silence as he mentally debated what to do next and whether or not it would be appropriate to kiss her again. Instead, he simply squeezed her hand. "I'll be right here if you need me." Serena nodded, returning a weak, appreciative smile before releasing his hand and slipping out of the car.

Once she scaled the stone steps of the temple, she slid the door of the temple meeting room open only to find that she was the last to arrive. In the middle of the room sat a large white-grey boulder with a silver sword partially embedded in it.

"Serena, that was fast." Artemis greeted. "Thanks for coming."

"Did you get a lift from somebody?" Mina enquired, hinting that she somehow knew of Darien's return.

"Mhmm..." Serena hummed vaguely. "So..." She nodded toward the new stone feature in the centre of the room, trying to change the topic in order to avoid the avalanche of resulting questions if the rest of the girls found out of Darien's return. "What's with the paper weight?"

"Ah, yes." Luna circled the white stone, placing a paw on it. "It's a relic... from the Moon."

"The WHAT?!" Lita's eyes widened as she inched closer to it. "Guys, I don't think the Smithsonian will be happy to hear that you've stolen one of their Moon rocks."

"This isn't from any of the known Moon sample archives on Earth." Luna continued. "Ami, Artemis and I were researching Lunarian energy signals in order to try and find the final rainbow crystal, when Ami found a strange reading coming from the Earth itself."

"It was the strangest thing," Ami continued from where Luna left off. "One minute everything was fine, then the next, the readings for the Earth's polarities were going haywire. A strange energy was being emitted from the Star Locket, and at what would have been the exact time that Reika's crystal was being extracted, the lid to the Star Locket opened by itself... and so did a portal."

"A portal...?" Mina repeated. "Like... Stargate."

"Something like that." Artemis nodded.

"So that's why we couldn't contact you during the battle." Rei turned to Ami who, in turn, nodded her head.

"The portal didn't really give us any choice. It grew until it swallowed the three of us, and we soon found ourselves on the Moon."

"On... the Moon." Serena struggled to grasp the concept. Anybody other than Ami, and she would have been completely sceptical.

"Yes, Serena." Luna pawed her forehead. "Girls, please... I know it sounds crazy, but for the sake of brevity, please try to keep up, and refrain from simply rephrasing the last few words of our explanations as questions."

"Sorry." Serena murmured an apology. "It's just... really weird. Sorry Ami, please continue."

"No, that's alright, Serena. It's understandable that you'd be sceptical. I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't experienced it for myself." Ami reassured before continuing. "It should be said though, that it wasn't the Moon as we now know it to be. There was an oxygen-rich atmosphere present, albeit slightly thinner than that on present day Earth. There were also a number of buildings and large architectural structures."

"How did you know it was the Moon?" Lita queried.

"We could see the Earth from where we were." Ami explained. "I also managed to bring home and analyse some samples that I took while I was there. I ran them through the mass spectrometer at KO University and the composition was almost identical to that of the Moon."

"We were only there for what felt like minutes." Luna interjected. "But when we returned, we soon realised that we had been gone for nearly two days."

"And that big lump of moon rock was sitting in the middle of the command centre." Artemis added.

"How did you get it to the temple?" Serena reached out to touch the rock.

"I borrowed a few of mama's laboratory assistants and we broke into the arcade in the middle of the night." Ami explained, continuing on through the collective gasps of disbelief. "It's surprisingly light for its size. Leading us to believe that the sword is partially encased in silica-rich Lunarian lava." Ami tapped away at her laptop, projecting a crystalline structure on the temple wall. "It seems to consist of quartz and Anorthosite... which is strange, because it's much stronger than what we imagined. Lab technician Greg accidentally dropped it after climbing the first set of steps, and it didn't even chip or crack."

"And the sword?" Lita asked.

"It's the Sacred Sword of Legends." Luna leaped up to the nearby table and flicked through a reference book, stopping at an illustrated image. "Not much is known about it, but it is the sword that protects the Moon Princess and, as legend has it, the sword that the Princess used to take her own life when she heard that Prince Endymion fell defending her kingdom."

"So... as guardians of the Princess... should we try to get it out of that rock then?" Lita suggested. "I mean, we can't really protect the princess if the sword is stuck in a rock."

"I suppose you're right." Artemis exchanged looks with Luna who shrugged. "By all means, Lita, give it a go. You're the strongest of the girls." All eyes fell upon Lita who rose to her feet. She placed both hands on the grip of the sword and lifted. To her surprise, both the sword and the boulder raised off the ground.

"Oh yeah..." Ami began. "Remember, it looks much heavier than it is. Try putting your foot on the rock for some leverage."

"Hnnnnngghh..." Lita strained but the sword wouldn't budge.

"I have an idea..." Mina thrust her transformation pen up in to the air, "Venus power, make up!" She called out and in the blink of an eye, she had transformed into her super-powered alter ego. Lita stepped away from the sword, letting Sailor Venus step up for her attempt. Venus walked a lap around the boulder as she contemplated how to approach the sword. "Maybe I should use my Crescent Beam attack?" She rested her hand on the pommel of the sword and a soft glow began to shine from the blade.

"Mina..." Serena pointed to the Sacred Sword. "It's glowing to your touch."

"What, seriously?" Sailor Venus withdrew her hand and the light dimmed. "What do I do?"

"Draw the sword. Put in all your strength." Luna instructed.

"I really don't think that's going to work, Luna." Venus gripped the handle nonetheless. "I mean, really... what is this, King Arthu-" The sword responded to her touch and as Sailor Venus tugged on the grip, it slipped from the stone like a hot knife through butter. The whole room was bathed in a white hot blinding light and with the sword removed, the stone crumbled. Sailor Venus's tiara shattered, only to be replaced with a glowing gold crescent moon. A flurry of white ribbons engulfed her, and her yellow and blue Sailor Soldier uniform was replaced with a gold accented, long, white, sweeping dress.

"Mina... you-" Luna's gasp of recognition was interrupted as the sliding door of the meeting room opened suddenly.

"Sorry to interrupt, but you left your phone in the car Sere, and it keeps ring-" Darien poked his head in only to find himself losing his words mid-sentence at the sight of the woman in the white dress. "Princess Serenity." He instantly recognised the figure standing before him and dropped to one knee, instinctively kneeling before her.

"Endymion." Mina's mind's eye suddenly flashed with memories from a previous life and both she and Darien simultaneously clutched at their heads. "I... I remember you..." She slowly stepped toward Darien and held out her hand to help him up.

"Mina?" Darien tentatively took her hand as he rose to his feet once more. "It was you... all along?" Wisps of memories played in his mind, but they didn't seem right. Both his heart and his head were clouded with confusion and a torn feeling of disbelief. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He had finally found the Moon Princess that he had spent his whole life searching for, and yet, as she stood before him, as real and tangible as ever, something didn't feel right.

"Yes, Prince Endymion." Mina nodded slowly. It was the strangest feeling. It almost felt like she had lost all control of her body and the words that left her lips. Like she was merely a marionette, and her strings were being pulled by a pre-programmed script. "It's me."

"Unbelievable. All this time and the Moon Princess was right under our noses." Luna bowed down low out of respect.

"The Princess has been found." Artemis smiled weakly as he also bowed. He too, felt that his actions and words were uncharacteristically forced. Just like Mina and Luna, his memories of the Silver Millennium had been fully restored, and he knew the role that he had to play. "I'm... so glad."

* * *

. . .

That's it for part 1. The second half of this chapter should be out next week. In the meantime, if you'd like to chat with me and maybe get a nice little preview of the next chapter, add me on facebook. You can find the link on my profile page =)

Until next week, take care!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	39. You Can't Fight Destiny

Here's the second part of the angsty chapter of doom... I'm kidding... about the doom, that is. Once I publish this chapter, I'll be changing the rating to M because...

**There is adult content in this chapter.** If you'd rather not read it, then skip the paragraphs beginning with the asterisks **(***)**. Sorry to the kiddies who clicked on this because of the T rating, I didn't intend for adult content to weave it's way in, but stories have a life of their own sometimes. After saying that, even though it's kind of detailed, it's not all that graphic and still falls in to the M rating banner (as opposed to MA/R/NC17) ...so it's not that bad.

_**Thanks to:**_ kbtjmandy, Sheezzeth, MinnieMoosi, Miss Moon Rose, LaNaHwAnNa, Polevault Princess, Miss Katrina Malfoy, Nancy67, Petite hippopo in tutu, Mina, JemDragon84, moon86, trish1573, TamoumatheStarWarrior, Twiggirl006, duogirl87, smfan4ever72, Wonderwomanbatmanfan, Guest, Artemis630, Perfect Beauty, TropicalRemix, crazyperson-pop, shaydoe, angeliclin, Usako714, lyss010387, Guest, chocolatito, l1s44p, CharmedSerenity3, natashasurgirl, sarahbellie, kera69love, _**and**_ SailorMoon489 _**for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated: M 15+**  
**Chapter:** 29 – You Can't Fight Destiny

"Here we are now with the falling sky and the rain,  
We're awakening."  
_-[Switchfoot]  
._

Ami, Lita, Rei and Serena sat silently on the floor of the temple meeting room, each completely lost for words at the new revelation. Mina was the Moon Princess that they had all been searching for. A lifetime of lost memories replayed in Mina's mind and she stumbled, falling to her knees in exhaustion.

"Princess-" Ami was the first to react, reaching out to help the teen steady herself.

"I'm sorry... I'm feeling a little overwhelmed..." Mina smiled wearily. "I will be fine in just a few moments." Her manner of speech had changed, as did her tone. It really did seem like she had adopted the persona of the long lost Moon Princess.

Darien's attention turned to the other blonde teenager in the room. Serena's hand was still raised to her lips, guarding the last essence of her lingering surprised gasp. Her chest rose and fell heavily with laboured breaths, as though she was struggling to come to terms with what this new revelation meant. There didn't seem to be enough oxygen on this Earth to calm her shaky nerves. He knew that look on her face… it was guilt.

"Princess, may I have a word, in private?" Darien's tone seemed rather urgent and stern.

"If you don't mind me saying, Prince Endymion, I really do think Princess Serenity needs some time to rest. I believe the flood of memories probably would have taken a large toll on-" Artemis began, only to be interrupted by the impatient man.

"It's _Darien_, Artemis. I'm _still _Darien. That fact hasn't changed." He ran his fingers through his hair, visibly tense. "And I won't be long. I promise."

"But-"

"It's fine, Artemis." A pale glow surrounded Serenity's body as she powered down back to her civilian form to conserve energy. "Shall we converse in another room?" She held her hand out, gesturing toward the door that led to the hallway and Darien nodded, following her out. Serena watched in silence as Darien and Mina walked out the room, leaving her behind.

"Serenity-" Darien began as they entered another room. His voice sounded foreign to him at that very moment when he called out her name. "Mina..." He corrected himself, feeling a lot more comfortable using her current civilian name.

"It's strange, isn't it?" Mina wrung her fingers together nervously. Suddenly, she felt awkward in his presence. Something just didn't sit well. She felt totally uncomfortable in her own skin.

"Mina, I need to be honest with you and ask you straight up." The tall man stopped pacing back and forth across the east wing ritual room momentarily. "You know why I've been searching for you. Do you have any memories of who I am?"

"Have your memories not been fully restored?" Mina frowned as she watched him shake his head.

"I'm still not sure why I transform into Tuxedo Mask or who I was as a child." Darien admitted, "And my memories of the Silver Millenium are still a little foggy."

"Well..." Mina began, taking a slow breath in. Her memories were as clear as day, but she still struggled to sift through them and organise them so they made sense. "All I remember is that you're Endymion, and that we_ were_ betrothed. We loved each other very much. I remember us sneaking away to be together..." Her voice weakened and faltered at that moment. She had clear memories of these events, but in her memories, she was watching herself sneak into the teleportation room. It was strangely puzzling.

"Mina..." Darien ran his hand through his jet black hair for the umpteenth time. Faced with his soul mate from another lifetime, Darien found himself feeling oddly conflicted. Even though his gut told him that he was destined to be with the Moon Princess, a shadow of doubt cast itself over his heart. "We are the present day incarnations of the heirs of the Moon and Earth Kingdoms. You were once a princess, as I was once a prince, but you know that that's not who we are in this lifetime, right?" He wondered if she understood the meaning behind his words.

"I know." She smiled weakly, still seemingly distracted and confused by her memories.

"Mina... Serenity…" Darien placed a hand on both of her shoulders, gaining her attention as she looked up at him with curious eyes. "I'm sorry, but in this lifetime, I've chosen somebody else."

"Do you love her?"

"With all my heart." Darien admitted. "With every fibre of my being. No matter how many times I've tried to deny it, distance myself and push her away, something keeps bringing me back to her. When I'm away from her, my insides feel all tied up in knots. I feel sick, like I haven't eaten in days, but when I'm around her, she's intoxicating and I can never get enough of her smile. I feel so light and happy. I've never been so happy in my life."

"Darien, you and Serena have something special. I've seen the way you look at each other. You know that I've been a long time advocator of the _Darina_ relationship." A small smile tugged at the corner of Mina's lips as she spoke. "Fate has given us another chance to live our lives, but maybe we were given this chance so we could find happiness in others." She continued, "I feel no ties that bind you to me in this life. You're free to love whomever you choose, as long as you make her happy."

A deep silence filled the room as Darien let Mina's words sink in to his soul. He was disappointed that Mina still could not unravel the enigma of his past, but was grateful nevertheless, for her kindness and understanding. More than anything, he was relieved to hear that she would not pose any threat to him pursuing a relationship with Serena... and that was what he wanted to hear the most. "Thank you, Mina."

"You have nothing to thank me for. Just be happy, Endymion." Mina smiled warmly, placing a reassuring touch on Darien's shoulder. "Go get her, tiger!" She grinned. With all matters between the two now settled, Darien and Mina walked back into the temple meeting room.

"Where's Serena?" Darien immediately noticed her missing, his eyes darting back and forth across the room as though she would magically re-appear from the shadows if he kept searching.

"She went home." Ami informed. "She said she had a headache."

"It seems like it was all too much for her to take in." Lita added, her attention focused on Darien.

"She has extra duties now, and her role as leader of the Sailor Soldiers is even more important now that the Princess has been found." The tone in Luna's voice conveyed a touch of melancholy. She had grown to love Serena and each of the other girls very much. It was well known that Serena and Darien had developed feelings for each other while living under the same roof, but now that Mina had been revealed as the Moon Princess, and betrothed to Darien in a previous life, the whole situation had been turned on its head. Her heart ached thinking about how Serena would be feeling now. "Until the Silver Crystal is uncovered, we must not let the Dark Kingdom know that the Princess has been found."

Artemis stood beside his feline companion. "We need to stick together to protect the princess, and that means being prepared for anything that happens." Another moment of silence befell the group, all thoughts currently wandering, speculating how their leader was faring.

"What are you waiting for, Darien?" Mina encouraged gently. To the surprise of all around her, she seemed quite back to her usual self. "She needs you now more than ever. Go find her."

Darien needed no further encouragement. As the group continued to stare at him and Mina with questioning gazes, he leapt toward the door, sliding it open and running toward his car. Speeding down the rain soaked streets of Tokyo, Darien searched the alleyways and sidewalks for the familiar blonde. The streets were just about empty, with most people trying to avoid going out in the heavy rain if they could, save one figure, head bowed, trudging slowly toward the entrance of their apartment.

"Sere!" He called as he jumped out of his haphazardly parked car, in front of the apartment building. She failed to notice his presence until he grabbed hold of her shoulder, turning her to face him. "Serena I-"

"Don't..." Serena lifted her hand up to stop him from saying any more. "I just need a moment to think about everything." Her voice quivered and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears that threatened to fall, mingling with the warm Summer rain. Darien nodded in silence. She refused to look directly at him and his chest felt tight with anxiety.

Slowly, Serena pulled out her key card, swiping it to gain entrance to the apartment lobby. Her hair was matted across her face and body, and her clothes dripped onto the carpet, but she no longer cared. The man she loved could never love her back. It was forbidden. All this time she knew her relationship with Darien was running on borrowed time. They both knew that Darien and the Moon Princess were destined to be together, and that it was only a matter of time until the Princess was found. She had no idea that finding her would hurt this much though. The most painful part came from knowing that the princess was none other than her best friend.

And even though the guilt of it all plagued her heart, all she could think about was the feeling of his lips and the warmth of his touch, and how happy she was to see him again. But none of it made any difference anymore. She'd never get to tell him how she felt. He'd never hold her in his arms again. If she had known that they were about to find the Princess, then she could have savoured her last kiss with him.

* * *

"So how much do you remember?" Artemis finally broke the deafening silence. He had waited until Luna, Mina and himself were safely out of earshot and around the corner of Hikawa Shrine before asking the question plaguing both Luna and his mind.

"Everything." Mina sighed. She pressed the palm of her hand against her feverish forehead, while the other clutched at her umbrella.

"Everything?" Luna queried, prying for some sort of additional clarification.

"Everything." Mina nodded. "But I don't know who the muffin man is." Her attempt at humour was met with blank looks of confusion from her two feline guardians. "Nevermind." She shook her head dismissively. "I remember that… I'm not the real princess."

"We shouldn't talk here…" Luna looked about before placing a paw on a seemingly random brick tile. "Follow me, it's the underground entrance to the control room."

* * *

Darien silently followed Serena as she shuffled her way out of the elevator and down the corridor, unlocking the door to their apartment, she snuck in and held the door open for him. He rushed over to the linen cupboard in search of a spare towel for the soaking girl but when he returned, he found her out on the balcony, standing in the rain once more.

She closed her eyes before tilting her head up toward sky. Her face contorted momentarily with an expression of misery, as though she had asked the heavens a question, and the response was not what she wanted to hear. Even though her heart felt as though an axe had cleaved it in two, she couldn't help but think that she was being ridiculously selfish for feeling that way. She was hurting. There was no questioning that, but maybe she deserved to feel like this for daring to defy destiny.

"I never got the chance to tell him…" Darien could barely hear her voice over the sound of the rain. "...that I love him."

Darien couldn't watch her heart breaking any longer. Dropping the towel to the ground, he swiftly closed the distance between them, striding out onto the balcony. Reaching an arm out to wrap around Serena's waist, he slipped his right hand to embrace the back of her neck and pulled her in close to his body for a spine tingling kiss.

"Darien, what-" Serena pulled away after a moment of indulgence. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears and the happiness in her heart betrayed her conscience.

"Don't say anything" His voice growled dangerously low as he pressed a finger against her lips to stop her from saying any more. His deep ocean blue eyes flickered with a passionate flame and Serena couldn't help but melt against his body. "I just need a moment to do what I _feel_ is right." He pulled her in close once again, holding her in his arms as they both stood silently in the rain.

"We shouldn't…" Serena reluctantly shifted away. "I... I should go take a shower."

"Not yet." Darien held her arm to stop her from leaving. "We're not through talking about this yet."

"What more needs to be said, Darien?" Serena's bangs dripped as the rain matted her hair down. Her lips twisted, forming a painful smile that contrasted her tear filled eyes, "We've found your princess."

"What difference does that make?" Darien knew that tone. He knew that Serena would be like this. "Why would you think that finding the Princess would change anything between us?

"It changes _everything _between us!" She cried, her voice piercing through the rhythmic drumming of the rain. "Don't you get it? The red string of destiny has bound you _to her_. The reason why you're here today is because of her. No matter how long your little crush on me lasts, it's inevitable that you'll end up with Mina one day."

"Well…" Darien began simply. "What do you propose we do now, then?" He watched as Serena thought for a moment. The light in her eyes disappearing.

"I guess... you go back to Harvard, and maybe I'll stay here. We'll go back to being _'The Jerk'_ and _'Dumpling Head'_, and we just forget any of this ever happened." She avoided making any form of eye contact with him, fearing that the second she did, she would break down into a mess of tears and heartache... and oh, how much her heart ached. "On second thought, you belong with the princess now, so it wouldn't be proper for me to be living under the same roof as you. I should move back with mama-"

"No." Darien interrupted, rather forcefully.

"No, what?" She glanced up at him long enough to see the determination in his eyes as he stared back down at her.

"No, I don't want you to go anywhere, and I don't want to forget about us." Darien continued, his voice unwavering. "This whole time I've been back I've only ever done what _you_ wanted. So, I'm not leaving without knowing how you feel." His hand gently caressed her jaw as he turned her gently to face him. "I thought I could deal with this on my own. I figured, if it was just me who had feelings for you, then I could live. I would be okay dealing with that in my own way. I'd push my feelings for you aside, do whatever it takes for you to be happy, but it's not just me, is it Sere?"

"I don't know why we're talking about this. What's the point when you're just going to leave again anyway?" Unshed tears glistened in Serena's cerulean blue eyes. "And when you come back, you'll be coming back to your destiny, by _Mina_'s side."

"I want to know how you feel about me." Darien insisted, his eyes softening. Serena felt her defences begin to crumble once again.

"This isn't fair." Serena shook her head.

"Why not?"

"Because you already know how I feel about you."

"Do I? Then one more time couldn't hurt." Darien lowered his head to meet Serena's gaze. "Humour me, Sere."

"You frustrate me." Serena sighed. "You _infuriate_ me." She continued. "I've never been happier around anybody else, not Andy, not the girls, not even mama and Sammy. Out of everyone I've ever met, you've been the one who has made me the happiest." A bittersweet smile momentarily emerged as she spoke, but the mirth never reached her eyes. "But you've also made me the saddest, Darien. Apart from when I lost papa, I've never cried over someone so much. I've liked you for _so_ _long_, Darien." She pulled away to wipe her tears before they could fall. "But it's hard knowing that I can't... that we can't... you have _her_."

"Can you ask me how I feel now?" Darien's heart ached watching her try to stay strong.

"I don't want to." She shook her head. "It'll be too hard to hear."

"Serena..." He gently persuaded and she sighed in annoyance.

"How... do you feel?"

"I feel frustrated... Because you've kept this from me for so long. I feel _infuriated_, because I wanted to tell you how I felt about you before I left, but I messed that up. I feel exasperated because you never answered any of my letters or my phone calls while I was gone, and I wanted so desperately just to hear your voice." Darien reached to brush the bangs away from Serena's eyes and she closed them, relishing the feeling of his touch. "Serena, I don't know what to do about the princess. Somehow, I've always known that my fate is intertwined with hers, and that I needed to find her, but now that we know Mina is the Moon Princess, I'm absolutely certain that whatever kind of relationship we once had is _very much_ in the past." He lowered his hand again and silence overcame them both. "The Moon Princess, she's never made me feel the way I do about you." Darien admitted sincerely as the rain began to fall even heavier around them. "Sere, I know it's selfish for me to ask this of you, but I want to come home to you. I understand though, if you don't want to wait because you don't think we'll last, but you should probably know that I love you. It's not just a crush... not to me. I don't believe in a predetermined destiny. I believe in creating my own path in life, which_ I choose _to share with you... because I love you. Regardless of who the Moon Princess is. I'm in love with _you_, Serena."

The hairs on her back of her neck pricked up and she had goosebumps all over her arms. A single tear trickled down her cheek as she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his body tightly as she pressed her lips against his in a desperate attempt to show him that she felt the same.

Darien reluctantly pulled away for a moment to look his angel in the eyes. "Maybe we're wrong. Maybe we're going against fate, but I don't care anymore." He gently nuzzled his nose against hers affectionately. "I've spent too long trying to rationalise and justify and deny my feelings for you. I don't want to do it anymore."

A small frown graced Serena's features. "But, Mina's-"

"Not who I'm in love with." Darien interrupted before leaning down to press his lips against Serena's once more. "She wants to see us happy together."

"This still doesn't make it right..." Serena shook her head, leaning back to distance herself from him. She couldn't explain it but whenever she was near him, all self-control and reason flew out the window. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. All anxiety that she had previously felt gave way to a new, invigorating feeling. Excitement coursed through her veins and no matter how hard she tried to reprimand herself for being weak and succumbing, she could barely hold back the exhilarating thrill that she felt every time he touched her. "This is very wrong..."

"Is it?" Darien held Serena's waist as he guided the petite blonde back inside, into the living room. As he continued to slowly step backwards, his lips gently skimmed across hers, eliciting a low moan from her. "I'm tired of fighting with you about this, Sere. The only person standing in the way of your happiness... is _you_. Tell me how you feel about me. Three simple words."

"I…" She murmured.

"Say it, Sere." Holding her at arm's length, his eyes drank in the sight of her and she could see the flames of lust flickering with them. It was then that Serena remembered why Darien liked the rain in Summer so much. _The spontaneity of the moment. Feeling it saturate your clothes, but still being comfortable. Getting caught in each other's arms. Coming home, soaked and dripping. The slow romance of taking each other's clothes off. _They were both completely saturated from the rain, dripping onto the carpet of his living room floor.

"I-"

"Let me hear you say it, Sere." Darien coaxed once more.

"I- I love you, Darien."

Overwhelmed by a sudden rush of adrenaline and desire, Darien pulled the blonde girl closer to his body, hard and fast. His lips crashed down on hers passionately and in an instant, he had lifted her up off the ground. She responded by wrapping her long legs around his waist, moaning into his kisses as he carried her further into the apartment. "Do you really think this doesn't feel right?" He asked between kisses and she shook her head vigorously in response.

She desperately grabbed at his shirt, tugging at it but it clung damply to his torso. "Dar...?" She knew it was probably not the best time to be bringing this up, but she couldn't help it. Curiosity got the better of her. "The box of... things... in your sock drawer?" It had sounded like a question, but she didn't know how to phrase it.

Darien stopped, pulling away abruptly. "You've been snooping around in my room?"

"I-" She hadn't thought about it like that. Her face flushed a bright crimson in embarrassment. "I just-"

"What were you looking for?"

"I- I don't even remember anymore." Her mind was drawing a blank in her panicked state. "I guess... evidence or clues about the Moon Princess..."

He felt a little betrayed, knowing that she had sneakily searched through his room even though he had tried to be as transparent as possible when it came to the Moon Princess. He had even given her his rainbow crystals. "And did you find anything?"

"Just a box of c-condoms... and your new year's resolution lists..."

He could see that she was flustered beyond belief and his gaze softened slightly. "They were given to me as a joke gift for my twenty-first birthday." He answered, trying desperately not to break in to a smile at the sight of her nervous innocence.

"And you kept it?"

"I thought they might come in handy sometime in the future." He watched her staring up at him, her large blue eyes asking him a silent, unspoken question. "It looks like I was right." He waited for her reaction.

Serena's eyes widened momentarily as she read between the lines and soon came to realise what he meant by that. She wasn't too sure what to say in return. She wasn't even sure why she asked in the first place. Was it an answer she wanted to hear? He watched as a million questions raced through her mind, before she settled on one simple response. Her trembling hands found their way to his arms and she steadied her shaky knees, lifting herself up to gently kiss his lips.

It was all the encouragement he needed. Darien lifted his right hand up, reaching around to one of her hair buns. His fingers searched for the pins that held her hair in place, gently pulling them away, letting her long golden locks cascade down her back. He ran his fingers through her damp, matted hair and she whimpered as he pulled away.

"No one else is allowed to see you like this... with your hair down. Only me." It seemed like a possessive warning. One that thrilled Serena to hear.

"But... Drew already has... and so has the rest of my family." She didn't know why she had interrupted his very sexy warning, but he watched her with a lust filled gaze from beneath lowered lids and her mouth promptly snapped shut. He leant in closer, pressing his lips against her neck and Serena felt her whole body hum with electric excitement. He bit down gently and she gasped, squirming beneath him as she let out a loud moan. "I get it... no one else..." she added in a moment of naive realisation and he chuckled in response. "Darien… I want… I need…" Serena murmured, her lips slightly swollen from their passionate kisses. He pressed her body up against the wall, pinning her there while his nervous fingers fumbled with the buttons of her shirt, her lips distracting him from the task at hand as she shyly nibbled on his neck and across his collarbone.

***"Sere-" his hands slipped under the shirt, gently caressing the soft skin of her abdomen, tracing across her waist, heading higher up her back, toward the clasp of her bra.

***"Don't ask me if I'm ready or if I want this." She desperately gripped hold of his shoulders as she whispered into his ear, feeling the full extent of his excitement, with her legs wrapped around his hips. "You already know the answer." She pressed her lips against his once more, her shaky legs releasing their hold of him and she planted her feet firmly onto the ground. "And don't you dare tell me to stop." Her eyes lowered momentarily as she reached for his hand, leading him into the shower.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Mina cleared her throat as she leant back in her chair. "The two of you figured out that Serena was the Moon Princess before you went to the moon?"

"That's right." Artemis nodded. "Call it a hunch." He added. "That's why we didn't tell you girls."

"And I'm supposed to just go along with this?" Mina scratched her head, trying to understand the complexity of the situation and her role. "I'm supposed to keep acting like the Moon Princess?"

"Just until she awakens." Luna confirmed.

"But why?" Mina asked, "Why the lies? Why do I have to pretend to be her?"

"We need a distraction... to buy us some time. A diversion from the real princess." Luna began to explain.

"We believe that the Dark Kingdom will soon catch on and make an attempt at her… your life." Artemis added.

"So, I'm bait…"

"Mina-" A panicked Artemis tried to rectify the rapidly escalating situation.

"No, it's fine." Mina's calm tone reassured the two guardians. "I mean, I get it. We need to be prepared for anything, and we need to protect Serena until she awakens…" Her mind wandered for a moment before she collected her thoughts once again. "By the way, why _hasn't _she awakened yet?"

"I don't know… Luna?" Artemis turned to his companion, his eyes holding almost as much curiosity as Mina's.

"I don't know either." Luna admitted to the disappointment of the other two. "All the Rainbow Crystals have been found. Perhaps she needs some sort of… emotional trigger?"

"Well…" Mina mused out loud. "What about a physical one?"

"Physical?" Both Luna and Artemis exchanged quizzical looks.

"You know… what if Darien and Serena…" Mina cleared her throat, her face turning a deep crimson colour. "_You know_…" She averted her gaze. "Because even though I'm supposed to be the Moon Princess, I gave Darien the green light to chase after Serena. Even after all this, he still loves her... and I'm pretty sure he's going to try to _show_ her... just... how... much... he's _missed_ her." She punctuated her sentence with too many air quotations to make sense, but Artemis and Luna caught the drift of her underlying message nevertheless.

"Mina!" Artemis seemed to be flushing an odd shade of pink beneath his snowy white fur.

"Is that what you were discussing in the other room?" Luna readjusted her collar nervously as she tried to guide the conversation away from the blatantly obvious path it was heading down.

"Well... not exactly." Mina chuckled at the reactions she received. "But come on now, I'm the carnation-"

"_in_carnation-" Artemis corrected.

"What_ever_," Mina rolled her eyes before continuing. "-of the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite. And besides, Darien and Serena have spent a whole year pining away for each other... so yeah, I'm pretty sure they're _getting jiggy wit' it_ as we speak." She laughed bashfully before her mirth died down into a wistful sigh. "It's amazing, isn't it? After all this, they still managed to find each other. I'm glad destiny took its proper course. I'm so relieved that this didn't change anything between them." She sighed once more. "Still, it's hard keeping this secret and being the only fully revived Sailor Solder, memories and all."

"It must be hard." Luna leapt from the desk to Mina's lap. "But you have to play your part, whatever it takes. No one can know that you're not the princess, Mina. Not Serena, not Darien, not any of the other girls."

"I know." Mina nodded confidently.

"The Dark Kingdom has been much too quiet since we got our hands on the last Rainbow Crystal... and I don't have a good feeling about it." Artemis arched his back to show his discomfort. "They will be coming, and you have to be prepared."

"I know…" Mina repeated.

* * *

_(*** Adult content until the next line break ***)_

"Sere, wait…" Darien shifted the petite girl, pulling her back down onto the bed beside him. "Sere, stop stop…" He warned gently and she withdrew her lips from his neck, frowning slightly.

"Oh, God… you're not regretting this now, are you?" Serena suddenly began to feel incredibly self-conscious and drew the sheets up toward her chin. "Because it's kind of a little late for that." She watched as Darien lay flat on his back, taking a series of deep breaths as he stared up at the ceiling.

"What?" Darien was momentarily lost in his own misty fogginess as he tried to regain some sort of semblance of control over the situation. He eventually moved, turning to face Serena, only to find that she had shifted even further away, leaving a small space between them. "Regret? No, of course not." Sitting up slightly, he crawled over toward her, positioning an arm on either side of her body, caging her in so she couldn't escape. Leaning over, he kissed the tip of her nose affectionately. He contently stared into her eyes a moment longer, brushing the bangs away from her eyes.

"Darien…" Serena murmured questioningly, placing a hand over his. "Your hands are shaking. Is everything okay?"

"I…" Darien's face flushed a bright crimson colour and he paused to take another controlled breath. "I'm just a little nervous. I don't really know what I'm doing, and I want to make sure I'm not hurting you."

A small smile tugged at the corner of Serena's lips. A wave of relief washed over her. Her heart had been pounding away in her chest for the past twenty minutes, and it was a little reassuring to know that she wasn't the only one feeling this way. "You know… there's a lot of talking going on right now, and not enough kissing…" Craning her neck up, she pressed her lips against his, gently at first, but as her fingers danced along his jawline, across his collarbone over his broad shoulders, she boldly deepened the kiss. Her hands slowly travelled down along his chiselled chest and across his abdomen, reaching lower and lower at a sinfully slow pace, until Darien groaned, interrupting her once more.

"Wait wait wait-" Darien pulled his body away from Serena's grasp once again, taking each of her hands in his and pinning her to the bed beneath him.

"What is it now?" Serena sighed slightly in exasperation. She didn't know what the problem was. They had been off to a great start, passionately stripping each other's clothes off, exploring each other's naked bodies under the constant rhythmic stream of water from their hot, steamy shower. They had gone the whole nine yards beneath the sheets of his queen size bed and she was eager to finish off what she had started, but now Darien was stopping her.

"You can't just kiss me like _that_ and _not _expect me to… I-I just need a minute…" Darien used his body weight to pin the petite girl down, hoping that she would stop squirming. She shot him another confused look and he lowered his lips to kiss along her collarbone. His warm breath and gentle nips on her sensitive skin caused her to gasp slightly.

"Dar-Darien…" She moaned as his gentle kisses sent tantalising shivers down her spine. Serena nibbled on her bottom lip. He was positioned between her legs, and every now and then, as she wriggled beneath his touch, she could feel him brush up against the inside of her thigh. "Darien, you're teasing…" Serena pouted slightly as she whimpered.

"You've made me very… excited, Sere." He continued to leave a trail of feathery light kisses along her neckline, occasionally sucking gently and enjoying the feeling of her squirming beneath him. "I need a minute to try and calm myself down a little, or it'll all be over in two-"

"Darien…" She drawled, leaning into his body and pressing her breasts up against his chest. "I don't know if I can wait another-"

"-Forget it! A minute's passed-" His lips crashed down upon hers in a passionate kiss and half a beat later he had claimed her as his once more.

* * *

Serena's eyes fluttered open and she immediately squinted, shutting one in response to the brightness of the room around her. The rain had cleared some time during the afternoon, leaving a completely clear sky as the backdrop to the vibrant sunset. Blood orange splashes of light filled the room, illuminating the walls and casting a warm glow on everything it touched. Serena yawned as she rubbed her eyes sleepily. She felt as though she hadn't slept in weeks. Reaching her hand out, she pulled one of Darien's shirts from somewhere near his bedside table.

"Don't get up yet." His husky voice called out and Serena turned her head to face him. There, Darien lay beneath the sheets of his bed, his hair slightly dishevelled. "Stay here with me, for a little longer." He lifted her hand to his lips and she smiled weakly. "Are you hungry? I just ordered some pizzas." Darien smiled, not waiting for her response.

"I... have to find my clothes…" Serena modestly slipped into Darien's shirt, buttoning it up as she lowered the sheets from around her body. What had they done?! How did she let it get this far?

"Serena…" Darien called once more, his voice hinting at a slight warning. "Your clothes are still wet… and… scattered around the living and bath room floors. Come back to bed." This time, he grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her in closer. She struggled against his grasp slightly, managing to free herself as she finished buttoning her borrowed shirt and rose from the tangled sheets of the bed. "Sere, what's the matter? Something's troubling you."

"I just… I need some air." Refusing to maintain eye contact, Serena slipped over toward the window, sliding the glass door open and stepping out onto the balcony. She leaned against the railing and cast her eyes toward the skies above her. The rainclouds that blanketed the skies that morning were now gone, letting the blazing afternoon sun through, heating the ground and creating thick, humid, stifling air. The horizon burned auburn and she felt a stinging, prickling sensation across her eyes, not knowing if it was due to the brightness of the sunset, or just plain guilt. Behind her, she could hear the sound of ruffling bed sheets and the zipper of pants.

"Sere…" his voice was gentle, yet unsure, as he called her from the balcony doorway. Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched as he approached her from behind, raised his hands slightly then hesitated. So, Serena mused to herself, she wasn't the only one who thought that this was just a little bit strange and awkward. Eventually he settled with placing a hand on each one of her shoulders and squeezed gently, trying to be reassuring. "Is everything alright?" He asked. The petite girl nodded silently, nibbling on her bottom lip slightly. She was lying, but at the same time, she wasn't too sure why she was feeling so uneasy. "I love you." He whispered, gently pressing his lips against the top of her head. A pained expression crossed Serena's features as she shut her eyes and tried to talk herself out of crying. Struggling to stifle a sob, she took a deep breath and nodded once more.

"Serena?" Darien could tell that something wasn't right; she wasn't talking or openly responding to him. Turning her around to face him, he noticed that his efforts were met with resistance initially, before she eventually turned, but lowered her gaze to the ground. "Sere…"

"I love you too…" Her voice seemed strained, as though she was trying hard to contain it. "But I don't think I should."

"Don't start with this again." Darien warned as he snapped impatiently, lifting her chin up so she would look him in the eyes. "You're not regretting what we did, are you? Because you seemed to be an incredibly enthusiastic participant, if I remember correctly."

"No." She shook her head vigorously, but her eyes betrayed her. Darien frowned deeply. "I mean…" Serena pulled away slightly. "I just… I can't help but shake the feeling that what we're doing is wrong.

"Stop." Darien warned, sighing in slight frustration.

"We're messing with fate and I feel like I've betrayed the Moon Prin-"

"I said stop!" Darien barked, yet Serena continued through unshed tears.

"All this time, Mina has been so supportive of the both of us, and she's been such a good friend-"

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?!" Darien raised his voice in order to try to talk over her. "Why are you still bringing this up?"

"How could I _not _bring it up?! She's _only_ the Moon Princess that you've been searching for your whole life. You're the reincarnation of Prince Endymion of the Earth; the suitor to the Moon Princess. You died in your past life, protecting her-"

"And in this life, if I have to die protecting someone, then I would choose to die protecting you-"

"Why would you even say something like that?" Serena interrupted.

"How else am I supposed to get this through to you, Sere? I don't get what it is about _'I love you'_ that you don't understand." Darien's fingers raked through his dark hair in frustration.

"The part where you're looking at me when you-" At that moment, his lips crashed down upon hers, cutting off the rest of her sentence and stealing her breath away. She struggled against him, opening her mouth to protest, but he quickly silenced her once more by slipping his tongue in to deepen the kiss. With one hand firmly placed at the back of her neck for security, his other slipped around her waist, pulling her body closer until she was pressed against him.

Eventually, Darien reluctantly broke the kiss, slowly pulling away just enough to stare into her eyes. "Why do you always have to argue with me?" His voice was quiet, gentle and calm, like a warm spring breeze skimming across the surface of a lake.

"Because," Serena paused to catch her breath. "It's our _thing_."

Darien's smile soon turned into a broad grin and he rested his forehead against hers affectionately. "Serena, be my girlfriend." It was more of a statement than a question, but he waited for her response nevertheless.

"You know, this is how it all started…" Serena stared straight into his eyes. "A few years ago, on the rooftop on New Year's Eve, you asked me to act like your girlfriend..."

"I remember." A smirk spread across his lips as he recalled that night. "But…" He raised a hand to gently caress her cheek, reminiscent of that same night. "Remind me again, what was your answer and how did that story end?"

Ever so slowly, Serena tilted her head to allow for better access as she leaned up against him, lifting herself onto the tips of her toes. She barely brushed her lips against his before pulling away slightly. Darien frowned, opening his eyes to give the girl a curious look. Serena nodded silently before raising herself onto the tips of her toes again, and just as the sun sank below the horizon, plunging the apartment into a violet grey darkness, her lips met his.

"So…" Darien unwillingly pulled away. "How do we tell the others about us?" He watched as Serena nibbled on her bottom lip nervously.

"Do we have to?" Serena silently contemplated any alternative options. She ducked past Darien and he subconsciously followed as she led him down the hallway and in to the kitchen, to fill a glass of water.

Darien watched the petite blonde carefully. A guilty expression momentarily washed over her features. Even though her current actions had a purpose, she seemed to be running away from his question. "I'd like to." He began softly. "I'd like to tell the world that we're a couple, if I could." Darien lifted a hand up to caress Serena's cheek, gently tilting her chin up to look him in the eyes. She resisted slightly, and he couldn't help but feel a little impatient. "I don't feel that there's any need to keep it a secret. You're not my mistress, Sere. You're my girlfriend."

A knock at the door disrupted them from their conversation.

"That's probably our pizzas." Darien glanced about him at the mess of wet clothes scattered around the living room floor.

"I know," Serena continued off from their previous conversation. "-But I just feel like it's too soon." Another knock sounded through the apartment from the front door and Serena, dressed in a pair of shorts and Darien's oversized shirt, answered it as Darien searched the piles of damp clothes for his wallet.

"Hey 'Rena," Mina greeted from the doorway. She immediately noticed the white dress shirt that draped from Serena's shoulders and skimmed across her mid-thigh. Peering over Serena's shoulder, Mina spotted Darien. He was facing the opposite direction when he slipped a shirt on over his head and pulled it down over his bare torso. He turned around, only to stop dead in his tracks as his eyes met Mina's. "I came to see if you were okay since you dashed off from the meeting early… but I can see you're clearly doing fine. _Better_ than fine."

"I-"Serena felt her knees weaken. She was busted. "I-I can explain. It's not what it looks like-"

"It's _exactly_ what it looks like." Darien sternly interrupted Serena's lame, jittery attempt at an apology. To both Serena and Darien's surprise, Mina threw her hands up into the air and squealed before pulling Serena in for a hug.

"O.M.G., you guys!" Mina jumped up and down gleefully while still clutching the confused and slightly scared Serena. "I'm so happy for you two! And here I thought the revelation would come between you and Darien. I'm glad to see it hasn't, and that you're both… _together_." The red ribbon blonde winked, pulling away just enough to nudge Serena with her elbow. "So... is the tamperproof seal broken? And by _'tamperproof seal'_... you know I'm making a double entendre joke there." Mina watched as the blood drained from Darien's face as Serena turned a glowing shade of amaranth.

"Mina!" Serena screeched at the top of her lungs, burying her red hot face in the palms of her hands before shyly tugging at the bottom of the shirt in a futile attempt to magically make it stretch large enough to swallow her whole.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself." Mina laughed out loud at Serena and Darien's priceless reactions. "Anyway, now that I know you're both doing well, I'm just going to disappear and let you both have a little bit of privacy…" She waved at Darien over Serena's shoulder and practically bolted down the hallway.

"Wait, Mina…" Serena gently shut the apartment door behind her before awkwardly hobbling to chase after her friend. It was a struggle for her as she attempted to do so while maintaining her integrity as much as one could while dressed in her boyfriend's shirt.

"What is it, 'Rena?" Mina turned around, offering a curious expression in return. Serena stared at her for a moment longer.

"Are you_ really_ okay with this?" Serena began, her voice meek and gentle.

"Are you kidding?" Mina's eyes twinkled merrily once she realised Serena's insecurity and concern. "Of course I am! I'm truly happy for the two of you."

"But you and Darien… you're soul mates." Serena's broken voice echoed down the hallway. Try as she might, she couldn't hold back her disappointed tone or the tears that shimmered from her misty eyes.

"Don't be silly." Mina waved her hand dismissively. "I'm no more in love with Darien than he's in love with Artemis." She grasped on to one of Serena's hands, tugging it by her oversized sleeve as she wiped away Serena's fallen tears with it. "Do you love him?" Mina waited as Serena paused momentarily before nodding her head. "Good. Because let me tell you something; he hasn't done anything but talk and care about you the whole time he's been gone. I know what you're thinking, 'Rena… and I'm not sure how all this will affect our destinies either, but you're still my best friend. Believe me when I say, I'm perfectly happy with the two of you being together." Mina reiterated once more. "Let him make you happy."

"I… I don't know what to say…" Serena lowered her head.

"Nothing. Just tell me I'm awesome and give me a hug, then go back inside that apartment and lock the door so no one else can interrupt." Mina winked, earning a smile from her friend.

"You're awesome, Mina." Serena's smile grew into a broad grin as the girls shared a parting laugh and Mina entered the elevator.

"So…" Mina sighed, exchanging glances with Luna and Artemis who waited patiently for her in the foyer. "_That_ theory of awakening didn't work. Back to the drawing board, I guess." She silently mused for a moment longer before wondering out loud. "Maybe I _should _try to come between them..."

"Mina!" Artemis scowled. "You've been watching too many dramas."

"Oh come on," Mina rolled her eyes. "As if I was serious..." She blew Artemis a dismissive raspberry. "But if I was... I mean... there's nothing like a bit of jealousy to get the emotional triggers flowing, right?"

"No!" The two cats exchanged worried looks.

"Puh, what killjoy kitties." Mina poked her tongue out playfully before turning around to glance up at the apartment building. "Whatever happens, I'm just happy that Serena and Darien are together again. Against all odds, after countless centuries and that year apart, they've finally made it back to one another." The mirth in her eyes faded away as a heavy omen tugged at her heart. "I just wish for them a moment of peace before the fates pull them apart once again."

* * *

. . .

What does it all mean, guys?! Nevertheless, there you have it! Happy times! Chapter 40 may take a while since I lost it in the great USB death of '14 and will have to write it from memory. Also... I'll be packing and moving soonish too... so if you'd like (kind of) regular(ish) updates on my progress, add me on facebook. The link is on my profile.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Let me know what you thought! Happy Chinese New Year, lovelies!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	40. Hey Jealousy! A Blossoming Romance?

OMG Finally, right? Who is this lame writer who takes so long to update her stories?! Sheesh! (Sorry, everyone!)

_**Thanks to:**_ Rlmw, Guest, vievere, A. K. Hunter, Laurelya, JemDragon84, darkrose923, dayfreshie, dancingfingers, Miss Jay, kireisnowtenshi, Blue Moon, Edward4ever1992, sailormoon0630, Blommie8, Nich31, SaphireShimmer, Twiggirl006, chocolatito, LoveInTheBattleField, CharmedSerenity3, Usako714, moon86, Sapphire, kbtjmandy, Rai Knightshade, crazyperson-pop, diellemabelle, boston, JemDragon84, KHLostEmpress, Kasienda, MinnieMoosi, LaNaHwAnNa, Artemis630, KittyKat, ff9moonie, kera69love, Miss Katrina Malfoy, lyss010387, duogirl87, Inara's, smfan4ever72, tryntee13, wonderwomanbatmanfan, bluebutterfly2006, trish1573, MissJay, and (my beloved) natashasurgirl (that I really need to email back) _**for reviewing the previous chapter**_

A special shout out to** MinnieMoosi **for her inspirational chocolate cherries ;) 3

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 40 – Hey Jealousy! A Blossoming Romance?

"Jealousy would be far less torturous if we understood that love is a passion entirely unrelated to our merits."  
_[-Paul Eldridge]_

Serena yawned, groaning loudly as she stretched her arms above her head, her hands smacking into the wall at the head of her bed. Reaching over to her blaring alarm clock, she smacked the bedside table, knocked over her lamp, and tipped over her glass of water before finally silencing her droning alarm.

"Ughh… such brightness..." She squinted as the light from the morning sun blazed in through her window, blinding her every time she attempted to pry her eyelids open. "Wait-." She suddenly sat up in bed, eyes wide open and adrenaline surging through her body. "Was it all a dream?" She threw the covers off the bed, and halfway across the room as she leapt to her feet. Dashing toward her bedroom door, she yanked it open and took a glimpse of Darien's empty bedroom from her doorway. Her feet developed a life of their own and she bolted down the hallway, toward the living room until-

_-Smack-_

She ran into a solid body, sending them both flying; a mess of flailing arms and legs, tumbling onto the living room floor.

"Hey…" Darien groaned, rubbing the growing lump on the back of his head. "You're up early for a Sunday."

"H...hey…" Serena opened her eyes to find herself lying sprawled across the flattened man. "You're… you're still here…" Her curious eyes began to glimmer with hope and warmth.

Darien placed a hand on either side of her hips to help her up off of him and she extended her hand to help him up in return. "Were you hoping that I wasn't going to be?" His brows knitted together into a deep frown which failed to hide his mischievous blue eyes.

"No, it's just that…"

Darien slipped a hand behind Serena's waist, pulling her in close and interrupting her train of thought with a gentle kiss. "It wasn't all just a dream, I'm really here, yesterday really happened, and yes, you really _are_ my girlfriend. No take-backs. You're stuck with me until I get sick of you and decide to let you go- which will be never."

"Oh." Serena raised her fingers to her lips as though she were holding the last essence of the kiss, before blushing a rosy pink hue. "So... umm..."

"I made you breakfast…" Darien awkwardly broke eye contact. It felt a little strange… being so civil. After so many years of keeping his guard up, denying his feelings and pushing Serena away, she had broken through his defences. Not only that, but they were dating. "-and umm… if you like, we can go on a date later." He tried his hardest to pretend to sound completely casual about it, even though he had no idea if he was acting appropriately. He had never been anybody's boyfriend before.

"A date?" Serena's ears figuratively pricked up at the mention of a date.

'_Be cool, Darien. Be cool.'_ He self-mentored. "Yes, our first official date."

"Where are we going?"

'_Crap.'_ Inwardly cringing at his lack of actual coolness, Darien paused momentarily before wincing and slowly shrugging. "I... don't actually know yet... my plans didn't really get that far. I just wanted to show off my new girlfriend to the world."

A deep silence befell the two, still wrapped in their embrace. Neither one knew what to do or say next. Eventually, Serena broke the silence. "I think this is the longest time you've ever held me."

"Is it awkward?" Darien dropped his arms, stepping away. "It's awkward isn't it?"

"Not at all." Serena shifted her weight slightly. "A little bit... but it's nice."

"It's still early days, and I guess I'm still trying to get used to this hugging... thing." Darien glanced about him in order to try to avoid eye contact. It wasn't often that he found himself struggling to do anything. His natural talent for learning quickly and his ability to pick up numerous skills effortlessly was something that he had immense pride in. As it turned out, though, the simple act of wrapping his arms around somebody in a non-awkward fashion would take a little more work.

"Well, you _are_ much better at kissing." Serena blushed profusely as she lowered her gaze onto his chest.

A coy smile tugged at the corner of Darien's lips as he tried to suppress the feeling of his own cheeks growing warm from her compliment. "Is that so?" Lifting one of his fingers up to Serena's chin, Darien slowly guided her lips toward his, kissing her gently.

Just at that moment, Andrew emerged from his bedroom and spotted the couple in the hallway as he walked to the kitchen. "Ugh, gross guys." He playfully rolled his eyes, grabbing a couch cushion along the way to hurl at the two. Darien deflected the cushion effortlessly, without the need to pull away from his endearing moment. "It's seriously too early in the morning for that." Andrew pulled his phone out from his pocket, before sending out a group text:

_"The Darena relationship is a go. They're official, guys. I was going to wait for the two of them to announce it, but it doesn't look like they'll stop sucking face anytime soon. Gross! Save me!" -Andy" _He had two seconds of silence before his phone buzzed to life with an instant feed of replies

"_Totally jealous! - Lita"  
_

"_About time! - Rei"_

"_Wedding bells, anyone? - Mina"_

_"I hope it doesn't interfere with her grades for Senior year… I'm happy nonetheless - Ami"_

"Pics or it didn't happen! - Reika"

"How about a picnic?" Serena suggested. "There's some left-over chicken in the fridge, and I can put together some sandwiches."

"Sure." Darien smiled warmly. "But first, have your breakfast. I'll go take a shower and get ready."

Serena made her way in to the kitchen, where she was greeted by a stack of pancakes on the countertop. "Yum!" She picked up her fork as she sat down on the barstool.

"Aaaaand no pancakes for Andy." Andrew leaned against the counter as he sipped his morning coffee. "Of course not."

"How are your ribs, Andy?" Serena asked between mouthfuls.

"THANK YOU!" Andrew exclaimed, placing his coffee cup down before thrusting both arms into the air, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Finally, someone who remembers that I'm a cripple too!" His melodramatic actions caused him to wince in pain as he over-stretched his muscles. "They're actually not too bad today. As long as I don't do_ that_ again, I'll be all good. I'm healing pretty well, I think."

"You should get Darien to take a look at that." Serena suggested.

"Speaking of…" Andrew took this opportunity to change topics and catch up on the gossip. "How is everything between the two of you now?"

"Uhh…" Serena absentmindedly pushed about bits of pancake around her plate as she struggled to come up with the words to explain her strange new relationship. "It's going to take a bit of work." She admitted. "I think… the future of this relationship is still a little… uncertain, I guess."

"Why do you say that?" Andrew furrowed his brows in curiosity. His little cousin seemed a little anxious as she tried to explain it all.

"Well, for starters, Mina is the Moon Princess." Serena's shoulders lifted momentarily, before slumping back down. She couldn't help but notice the brief expression of alarm that flashed upon Andrew's face before he tried to cover it up. "Yeah, I know." She forced a smile. "Mina wants us to be together, and Darien's pretty determined to give this… relationship, or whatever this is… a go. But, well…" Serena shrugged, her eyes becoming slightly misty with fresh tears. "Their destiny…" She paused to gather herself before continuing, "Their fate brought them both back to this lifetime. I guess I got in the way."

"'Rena," Andrew watched the teen drown the last of her pancake in syrup, distracted by her own thoughts to notice. "'Rena, believe me when I say that Darien's serious about his relationship with you." He pulled the plate away from Serena's grasp, gaining her immediate, undivided attention. "He's put a lot of thought into this. It's not just some last minute, impulsive move on his behalf, nor does he believe that this is just a temporary crush that he'll get over once he's ready to start something with the Moon Princess." Andrew's expression remained stern and serious as he spoke. "'Rena, Darien's playing for keeps."

"I'm not sure I know what that means, Andy." Serena listened intently, but still struggled to make sense of what it all meant.

"Just… have faith in him." Andrew let a small, reassuring smile grace his lips. "Trust that he's happy with you, and forget all about this 'destiny' and reincarnation stuff. Give this relationship of yours a chance. Give _Darien _a chance to make you happy."

"What are you guys talking about?" Darien padded down the hallway, drying his dripping hair off with his towel.

"Diabetes." Andrew lied.

"Diabetes?" Darien raised an eyebrow, to which Andrew nodded in the direction of Serena's syrup drenched plate.

"Your girlfriend is going to die of it if you keep stuffing her full of sweets." Andrew casually picked up his coffee from the kitchen counter and strolled out to the balcony to read his morning paper.

* * *

Under the shade of a large Japanese Black Pine tree, two lovers sat in silence, enjoying each other's company, and the warm Summer breeze.

"So…" Serena broke the silence, lying down on the picnic rug. She stretched her arms above her head and gazed up at the patches of blue sky that peeked through the gaps between the branches. "What do you remember since The Princess awakened?"

Darien watched the dreamy blonde for a moment, trying to read whether or not she was harbouring any resentful feelings about his shared past with her best friend. "Not much." He shrugged, feeling uncomfortable talking about a past that he didn't remember.

"Honestly?" Serena turned to look directly at him.

"Honestly, Sere." Darien nodded slowly. "I don't remember much more than I was already starting to remember."

"But, when you walked into the temple, you immediately recognised Mina as The Princess. You must have felt or remembered something, right?"

"Something in me recognised The Princess. The rest of me just felt confused." Darien admitted. "I have strange fragments of memories from the past, but when I try to remember more, it just feels like I'm looking through a kaleidoscope." He added. "It was the strangest thing... finding out that Mina was the Moon Princess; because all this time, I expected that when I finally met her, I would have some sort of flood of memories and emotions. But it never happened. All I could think of at that moment was you, and how none of my feelings for you had changed."

Serena slowly sat up again as she listened to Darien talk. Her long, golden locks pooled around her, like a veil of velvet sunlight. The gentle breeze sighed about them, and for a second, a brief flash of recognition caught Darien off guard. Like a snapshot of a memory that faded almost as instantly as it had appeared. There was something familiar, almost nostalgic, about how Serena looked, staring up at him; her face partially shaded by the dancing shadows of the nearby tree. Why could he not remember?

"I'll do everything in my power to make this work." Darien placed a gentle kiss on the back of Serena's hand. Her cheeks flushed a pale pink in response and a warm smile graced her features. She laid her head back down, this time, on his lap.

"Do you have to go back?" She asked quietly. "A year is a long time…"

"I don't…" Darien half sighed his response.

"But you will." Serena finished his thought. "You have to." She poked her tongue out in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Don't mind me. I'm just going to miss you."

"I'll write to you every week." Darien reassured. "And we'll have video calls."

"I'll write back, this time." Serena looked away, sheepishly. "I promise." Another moment of silence passed between the couple. "Dar, what do you think will happen to us when you come back?"

"What do you mean?" Darien contently watched his girlfriend.

"I mean…" Serena thought for a moment, before continuing. "What will happen to _us_? You're the Prince of the Earth. I don't even know what that means, but I know that I'm still just plain ol' Serena."

"You shouldn't underestimate yourself, Miss Moon." Darien brushed Serena's bangs away from her eyes. "Tokyo Teen Magazine tips Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon as the hottest crime fighting duo of all time. We beat out Sherlock and Watson, and even Frodo and Sam." His jovial tone was met with a blank look from Serena. "I don't know… I guess we'll date some more… get married…-"

"-And what? Live in a grand castle surrounded by a white picket fence? Because, hello?! You're still the Prince of the Earth-"

"And this prince wants to be with_ you_ forever." Darien interrupted Serena's interruption. She sat up abruptly, folding her arms across her chest as she huffed her bangs away from her eyes in frustration. He didn't seem to be taking her seriously.

"Forever?" She repeated, feeling as though Darien was mocking her again. "Forever is a long time, you know, Darien. How do you know you that it's _me_ that you want to spend forever with?"

"You're right." Darien shrugged, a cheeky glint sparking in his mirthful eyes. "You ask a lot of really annoying questions, you snore when you sleep, you're a slob when you eat, and you eat _a lot_." The blue eyed man counted his fingers as he effortlessly listed off a number of Serena's less-than-graceful traits. "Not to mention that even though you're Tokyo's number one kick-ass heroine, you're still clumsy and a cry baby, and although you have a boyfriend now, you're still incredibly insecure." He watched as Serena pouted, sniffing back unshed tears in a futile attempt to try to prove Darien wrong about her 'crybabyness'.

"You're still a major jerk, Darien." She softly punched his arm in retaliation. "I don't even know why I still like you." He shot her one of his trademark winning smiles.

"-And yet, through all that, I still love you." Darien winked. "I must be a saint." He received another slap to the arm for his quip. "I'm serious, Sere. Forever." He repeated, taking a gentler tone. "I will love you, forever."

"But how do you know?" Serena frowned slightly. Her boyfriend reached over to squeeze her hand gently.

"What does your heart tell you?"

Serena sat in silence for a moment. The cheeky glimmer had disappeared from Darien's eyes, replaced with a warm affectionate look. At that moment, she felt it too.

"My heart tells me… that you're still a jerk." The dumpling haired blonde blew a raspberry and pouted defiantly. Darien laughed at her reaction, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in close.

* * *

Later that night, Darien watched as Serena sat down on the sofa beside him, holding a bowl of cherries with a side of melted chocolate. She picked up a crimson fruit, dipping it into the gooey chocolate before lifting it up to her lips and slowly licking the sweet confectionary off. Her tongue swirled around the cherry before she enticingly sucked down on it.

"What-what are you doing?" Darien gulped before clearing his throat. Although Andrew was out of the apartment, at work, Darien had vowed to keep things strictly PG between him and Serena. They did, after all, still share the apartment, and there was still every chance that Andrew could walk in on them in a compromising situation like he had done previously. As far as Darien was concerned, any further indulgence of adult debauchery would have to be well planned out, and would definitely not be the result of an impulsive, hormone-fuelled whim, caused by his cherry sucking girlfriend.

"Hmm?" Serena turned to her boyfriend, her sky blue eyes reflecting an innocent look, like she had no idea of the possible innuendo that Darien was taking from the act of eating cherries so seductively. She picked up another fruit and repeated her previous actions.

"That!" Darien subconsciously inched away from the petite blonde, pointing an accusing finger at her crimson stained lips. "Why are you doing _that_?"

"Doing what?!" Serena frowned, feeling a little confused. "I'm just eating my cherries!" She licked the chocolate off of her current cherry, before popping it into her mouth.

Darien reached for a couch cushion, placing it strategically over his upper lap. "Yes, but why are you doing it like _that_?" He asked, growing increasingly frustrated, in more than one way.

"Like _what_?!" Serena asked, still clueless about what her boyfriend was talking about. "I don't understand what you're talking about, or what you think it is that I'm trying to do."

"Just…" Darien huffed in frustration. Obviously he was looking in to it too much. "Forget about it." Clearly he had misunderstood the situation and overestimated Serena's ability to be seductive. Perhaps she was still too innocent… or perhaps he just had a dirty mind. "I-I think I'm just going to call it a night and head off to bed."

"Is everything okay?" Serena placed her bowl down on the coffee table. "You're acting a little strange. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, nothing." Darien shook his head vigorously. Just at that moment, Andrew returned home from his shift at the arcade. "It's not you, it's me. Really. I think I'm just tired." Darien rose to his feet, mustering up his best reassuring smile although he felt incredibly awkward and embarrassed for assuming that Serena had been trying to seduce him... with stone fruit.

"But Darien…" Serena watched as Darien's form silently retreated down the hallway and into his room.

"Is something wrong?" Andrew kicked off his shoes, walking in to the apartment. He wondered if he had just walked in on a moment gone wrong. "What happened?"

"I don't know…" Serena shrugged, a look of complete confusion was plastered across her face. "We were just sitting on the couch, watching a movie, then I brought over a bowl of cherries and chocolate… and he got all weird and left."

Andrew glanced over at the bowl of melted chocolate and chuckled to himself. _Of course_ socially retarded Darien would misconstrue the situation. "That kid is so awkward…" Andrew muttered under his breath, shaking his head and silently thanking the Gods for Serena's pure heart. Not two minutes had passed since his last thought, before he immediately regretted it. He watched as Serena, seemingly determined to get to the bottom of it all, followed Darien down the hallway. "Hey hey, now!" Andrew stood at the end of the hall, shaking his finger. "Don't make me implement bedroom boundaries and open door rules again!"

"Andy," Serena emerged from her bedroom, clutching her pillow to her chest. "I'm going to sleep in Dar's room tonight." The petite blonde smiled innocently before disappearing into the room across the hall.

"What?! What did I just say?!" Andrew stomped his foot on the ground. "Aunty Ikuko will have my head if she finds out that you're sleeping in the same bed as-"

"She's kidding." Darien slowly pushed Serena back across the hallway and into her own bedroom. "Aren't you, Sere?" He kissed the tip of her nose to try to subdue her. Serena pouted, ducking past her boyfriend before running back into the hallway.

"Andy," Serena began, "Darien and I are both mature-"

"_Both_?" Andrew and Darien interjected at the same time.

"-Consenting adults." Serena continued on with her argument unabated. "Darien's only home for a week, and we have a lot to talk about."

"And somehow…" Andrew mused out loud, "I think if you both slept in the same room, there wouldn't be much talking-"

"-or sleeping." Darien added fuel to the fire, watching as another vein popped out from the side of Andrew's neck. Andrew was always so happy that it amused Darien to no end whenever he was able to push his friend's buttons.

"-happening between the two of you." The blond man stared daggers at his best friend as he finished his sentence.

"Ugh." Serena crossed her arms, also glaring at the dark haired man beside her. "Whose side are you on?"

Darien reached his hand out to pull Serena back into her own room. "Sorry, but I really do need my beauty sleep, Sere." He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'm still quite jetlagged."

"You _are_ coming back out of her room, _right_, Darien?" The two could hear Andrew calling out from the end of the hallway. Darien smirked, pressing a finger against Serena's mouth briefly to silence her. "Darien?!" His smirk soon turned into a full blown grin as he listened to the impatient tone in his best friend's voice. "Guys! Boundaries!" Andrew called out once more, listening to the silence as Serena leaned up to give her boyfriend a good night kiss. "Don't make me come in there and drag one of you o-"

"Geez, what's the deal?" Darien casually strolled out of Serena's room, closing the door behind him. "Can't a couple get a moment's privacy before bed?" He caught a brief glimpse of Andrew glaring at him at the end of the hall, his hands placed firmly on his hips. Darien shrugged, seeming nonchalant about the whole situation as he strolled into his own room and shut the door.

"I don't know why I tried to get those two together." Andrew ran his fingers through his sandy blond hair. "I'm going to have an aneurysm trying to keep them off of each other now." He turned around and headed for his own bedroom. Just as he closed the door behind him with a click, Darien swiftly yanked his bedroom door open and tiptoed across the hall to sneak into Serena's room for one last goodnight kiss.

* * *

Darien strolled into Serena's room early the next morning and sat down on the bed beside her sleeping form. Leaning over, he kissed her gently on her partially closed lips. She reacted with another snore. "Pssst, Sere, wake up." He brushed locks of hair away from her face, caressing her cheek in an attempt to rouse her from her slumber gently. "Sere…?" He asked, this time a little louder, nudging her shoulders. "Damnnit, why is she such a heavy sleeper?" He grumbled under his breath. Placing a hand on each of her shoulders, he shook her a little firmer.

"Mmmmm…" Serena mumbled dreamily. "Five more minutes, I'm about to kiss Tuxedo Mask…" She turned over on to her side, swatting her hand about.

Darien bit his lip, suppressing his laughter. "Or… you could wake up and kiss me in real life." He continued to talk to Serena's sleeping form as he picked up a copper pot lid and a wooden spoon, bashing them together a number of times before tossing the evidence under her bed as Serena grumbled, her eyelids slowly peeing open.

"What… what's happening?" Her pupils eventually focused on the figure sitting at the edge of her bed. "Was that you?"

"What?" Darien smiled innocently. "Was what me?" He shrugged. "I only just sat down."

"Oh…" The dopey teen groaned as she slowly sat up in bed, tilting her head to one side in order to try to subdue the ringing noise in her ears.

"Do you want to go on a date, today?" Darien eagerly asked. It took a few moments for Serena to make sense of the strange sounding strung-together words coming out of Darien's mouth.

"But... it's Monday," She hesitated for a moment, feeling a little strange for having this conversation out loud and not just in her dreams. "I have to go to school today."

"Oh... right." Darien scratched his head, smiling sheepishly. "You can't take the week off?" He watched as Serena stared silently at him, as though he were possessed by a demon. "I'm kidding!" He added quickly before Serena could get the chance to get too excited by the idea.

The blonde teen pouted in response. "You haven't changed." She crossed her arms. "Way to get a girl's hopes up only to remind her that she still has to go to school. You haven't changed at all."

"Of course not. School is very important, especially for you. You need all the attendance you can get." Darien casually folded his arms across his chest and flexed his muscles in anticipation for the oncoming barrage of physical attacks.

"Heeey!" Sure enough, there it was. A solid punch to the arm. "You're my boyfriend! I thought that means you're supposed to be nice, and supportive of me."

"Says who?" Darien shrugged, unfazed by her wimpy attack. "I'm pretty sure you'd rather me be honest with you, right?"

"Well... yes," The blonde mewed some sort of pathetic sounding whimpering noise, reflecting her emotional woundedness, "but couldn't you at least be a little nicer about it?"

"It's like you don't know me." Darien miraculously produced a croissant from somewhere behind his back, popping it into Serena's mouth before she could protest any further.

. . .

"Do you want a ride to school?" Darien called out from the kitchen, where he washed his coffee cup.

"That would be nice, thank you." Serena smiled warmly before becoming distracted by Darien's laptop, sitting open on the dining table. The blonde school girl leaned over, tilting the laptop screen to get a better angle. "Men's Health Magazine online?" She raised an eyebrow but continued to read on nevertheless. "30 Romantic date ideas…"

"Hey, hey, hey..." Darien rushed over to the laptop, dragging it away. "What do you think you're doing?"

"30 Romantic date ideas?" Serena repeated, her lips curling into a playful smile. She had busted Darien trying to do research.

"Contrary to popular belief, it's actually really hard to be romantic." The rosy tint to Darien's cheeks betrayed his otherwise stoic expression as he shut the lid on the laptop and crossed his arms defensively.

"I have a suggestion, if you want to hear it." Serena chirped happily.

"Does it involve chocolate ice cream?" Darien asked in all seriousness.

"Uh… no…" The petite blonde slowly shook her head, "not really."

"Then no." He deadpanned.

Serena opened her mouth to speak, but her words seemed to fail her at that moment, so she simply closed it, only to open it in another attempt a few seconds later. "B-But-"

"I'm only kidding, Sere." He smiled, and she felt her heart skip a beat in response. "I'm open to any date suggestions you have."

"Great, then bring the car around after school and pick me up from the front gate." Serena beamed, excited at the prospect of possibly impressing Darien with her ingenious date idea.

. . .

"Take a left here… then a right at the lights…. I think." Serena instructed from the passenger seat.

"You know, this would be a lot easier if you just told me where we were going." Darien swallowed his heart back into its rightful place within his chest after conducting a last minute lane change on Serena's instruction.

"I know, but I want it to be a surprise. Oh take a left turn here." Serena pointed to the fast approaching intersection.

"Here?" Darien struggled to remain patient and calm, mentally apologising to all the other road users, and wincing as he barely avoided a collision with a truck.

"Here, here!"

"You could have just said _'drive to Juuban Shopping District'_." Darien released his held breath.

"Oh…" Serena nibbled on her bottom lip, nervously realising that he was right. "Yeah, I suppose so. Sorry."

"You know, you're the worst road navigator ever. This better be worth me almost dying and causing a 12 car pile-up in peak hour traffic…" Darien continued to follow Serena's directions to park in a secure parking lot beneath her selected shopping mall. Once parked, the tall man allowed himself to be dragged about by the petite blonde. "So… where are we going?"

"It's just around this corner…" Serena informed, once reaching the street level of the mall.

"Tsutaya book store?" Darien looked up at the building sign. "This is where we're having our date?"

"Yes." Serena nodded firmly. "Because it has a Starbucks on the ground floor and a huge selection of books to choose from."

"But… you don't like coffee _or_ books." Darien glanced down at Serena, giving her an uncertain look.

The teenager stomped her foot defensively, "I read a lot!"

"-of manga." Darien snorted.

"It still counts." Serena defended, scrunching up her nose and blowing a raspberry.

"No it doesn't." Darien shook his head, teasing his girlfriend for insisting that Manga counted as proper literature.

"Do you want to hear what I have planned or not?" Her voice raised a number of decibels as Serena whined loudly at the entrance of the bookstore.

"Sure... sorry." Darien coughed, clearing his throat of the last remnants of his laughter at her annoyance.

"Okay." Serena recomposed herself. "We have 15 minutes to find our top 5 favourite books and bring them back here where we'll sit down, order our beverages and discuss the books we chose and why we chose them."

Darien eyed his girlfriend down. An expression of amazement flickered in his eyes momentarily. It was actually a really good idea. "You know, after three years of living under the same roof as you, it astounds me that you can still surprise me."

"I-In a good way, right?" Serena struggled to read the blank expression on Darien's face.

His gaze softened and he leant down to brush his lips against hers lightly. "In an amazing way."

"Good." Serena's face lit up with excitement. "Our 15 minutes starts now."

. . .

Serena was first to arrive back at their designated Starbucks booth. She placed her five books on the table and walked to the counter to order their drinks. She returned to find Darien sifting through her books.

"Hmmm… _The Lord of the Rings, Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, Hana Yori Dango_… of course you've got a Manga novel in there…" Darien rolled his eyes expectantly "..._Journey to the Centre of the Earth_?"

"The 'journey' part is interesting." Serena shrugged placing Darien's coffee before him and taking a seat on the opposite side of the booth.

"But the ending is kind of anticlimactic, don't you think?" Darien followed suit, taking a seat at the booth. He lifted up his coffee, appreciating the warm, welcoming scent before taking a sip. He liked how she knew his coffee order by heart.

"Well yes, but the journey itself was full of suspense and really well written." Serena rebutted. "Verne really has a way with his words. He's narrative style is very descriptive, and I like that, since I'm more of a visual person- I mean, I didn't really understand a lot of what his was saying, and I had to look up what an igneous rock was, among other things, but-"

"You're beautiful." Darien interrupted Serena's micro-analysis. He had never seen her rant on about a book before. It was attractive. He knew that she was smarter than what others gave her credit for, and that her poor marks were mostly due to a lack of motivation and general laziness, but he had no idea that she took an interest in written literature.

"W-what?" Serena blinked twice, her cheeks glowing a deep scarlet colour.

"You heard me." Darien cleared his throat before taking another sip of his coffee, embarrassed that he had been caught out. It was more of a thought than an open compliment, one that Darien had never intended to say out loud.

"What…" Serena shyly sank lower into her chair. The look Darien was giving her unnerved her a little. She had fully intended on trying to impress him during this date, but she did not expect for it to have worked as well as it did. She silently thanked the Gods that she decided to pick up a book or two after Darien suddenly left for America. "What did you bring back?"

"Have a look." Darien slid the pile over for Serena to peruse.

"You picked _The Lord of the Rings_ too." Serena squealed with excitement as Darien sat back in his chair comfortably. "_Dracula_, _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_... _Clinically Orientated Anatomy_?" The dumpling headed school-girl raised an eyebrow, lifting up the heavy textbook, curiously waiting for some sort of explanation.

"It's been really useful during my studies." Darien shrugged. "It was also the book I was carrying when you threw that test paper at my face."

"When we first met?" Serena queried. Darien nodded silently and smiled as he watched Serena blush profusely, nibble on her bottom lip, and giggle immaturely at the cuteness of his clarification. "How do you even remember that?"

Darien shrugged coolly, "It was a pivotal moment in my life." He explained, "It was the first of many things…" The dark haired man paused for full effect, watching as Serena seemed intrigued, waiting for the rest; hanging off his every word. "It was the first time I met you... the first time I had ever seen such a low score on a test paper, the first time I called you 'Dumpling Head', the first time I had ever been hit in the face with a scrunched up ball of paper, the first-"

"Okaaay, moving on now." Serena's smile faltered, soon turning into a momentary expectant glare. "You have _The Picture of Dorian Grey_ here." She pointed out after a short moment passed. "I thought you didn't like the book."

"I've always liked this book." Darien shook his head. "But I've always interpreted Sybil's death as the beginning of Dorian's corruption… like it was her fault that Dorian became the way he did. It wasn't until that time when we were discussing the book with Diana, and you mentioned that Sybil could have been Dorian's saviour, that I realised their relationship was more complicated than I first thought. Your interpretation made me realise that it was actually Dorian who ruined her, not the other way around."

"And that's why it's now on your list of top 5 favourite books?"

"Yes, because it's proof that I'm not always as smart as I think I am." Darien admitted openly. "And-"

"And that you should listen to me more often, right?" Serena gloated, winking.

"And that Oscar Wilde is a fantastic writer." Darien decided to change the ending to his initial thoughts, in light of Serena's newly formed massive ego.

_Beep-beep, beep-beep_

"Moonie Call…" Serena reached into her book bag, pulling out her card communicator. She glanced around her, checking that the coast was clear before setting the card on the table and accepting the call.

"V, we're public." Serena informed as soon as the signal connected.

"Thanks for the heads up, 'Rena. We need you at the park and-" Sailor Venus paused, noticing the familiar logo in the background "Are you at Starbucks?" She squinted, deciphering the green sign.

"Hey, Mina." Darien leaned over the communicator so he too was visible.

"Oh, you're on a date!" The bubbly blonde squealed on the other side of the call. "'Rena, why didn't you tell me that-"

"We're kinda in the middle of something here!" Sailor Mars's agitated tone could be heard in the background of the call.

"Oh, yeah." Venus gave a brief sheepish look. "Juuban park, ASAP!"

"On my way." Serena ended the call, swiftly grabbing her book bag and communicator as she and Darien made their quick escape.

. . .

By the time Sailor Moon had made it on to the scene, the battle was fully underway. A Dark Kingdom cave troll was keeping the other Sailor Soldiers busy by creating and sending out wave after wave of clay demons.

"We need to try to find a weakness." Sailor Venus called out, slicing through two clay monsters with her sword.

"I'm on it." Mercury tapped on her hand-held computer with lightning speed as she dodged a number of lunging attacks.

"Moon Healing-" Sailor Moon's very first attack was disrupted by three clay monsters, who lunged straight for her as soon as she stood in formation. One seemingly liquefied, grabbing hold of her wand wielding arm, as another hoisted her high up into the sky, away from the safety of rescue. The third transformed into an elongated, stalactite-like shape, ready to skewer the warrior of the moon.

Three crimson roses skimmed through the air, each embedded into the three clay monsters currently attacking Sailor Moon. Venus let out a piercing shriek as another three demons attacked her in the same manner.

"Akuryo Taisan!" Sailor Mars launched her paralysing ofuda at the main cave monster.

"I've got it!" Sailor Mercury managed to pinpoint the weakness, just as Tuxedo Mask caught Sailor Moon in his arms, "Aim for the left arm."

"What are you doing?!" Sailor Moon cried out at her saviour, struggling out of his arms.

"Jupiter; Supreme-"

"Sailor Moon, we need you, now!" Mercury called out, gaining her leader's attention.

"Moon Tiara-"

Sailor Jupiter's attack combined with Sailor Moon's golden tiara to destroy the Dark Kingdom minion just in time. The clay monsters attacking Sailor Venus destabilised, dissolving into fine grains of sand; blowing away in the wind. As she fell, Venus's chain caught on a nearby lamp post, leaving her hanging by her waist as a heated argument ensued from below.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Sailor Moon turned to yell at the tall, masked hero standing beside her.

"Umm…" Tuxedo Mask took a step back in an attempt to protect himself from Sailor Moon's seemingly random, unprovoked rage-rant. "Saving you?"

"But why?" Sailor Moon raised her voice once more. "You need to protect Mina! _She_'s the Princess! Protecting _her _should be your number one priority!"

"Uh, speaking of, guys-" Sailor Venus struggled, kicking her legs and wiggling in a futile attempt to get herself down from the light post.

"My priority is, has, and always will be to protect _you_, Sailor Moon." Tuxedo Mask retorted, feeling somewhat frustrated that Serena still didn't understand just how important she was to him.

"Guys..." Sailor Venus tried once more to gain their attention as Mars, Mercury and Jupiter stood helpless beneath Venus's shadow.

"Is there a ladder or something we could get?" Jupiter looked about the deserted park grounds as the ever-escalating argument continued nearby.

"She's the Moon Princess!" Sailor Moon stomped her heel onto the ground for emphasis.

"You're my girlfriend!" Tuxedo Mask argued simply in return.

"That doesn't matter in the heat of the battle-"

"Yes, it does."

"No it doesn't!" Sailor Moon practically shrieked in frustration. "The fate of the universe doesn't rest upon _my_ shoulders."

"Fine," Tuxedo Mask shrugged in a display of defiant 'defeat' and with the flick of his wrist, he expertly produced a rose which sliced through the air, cutting through Sailor Venus's chain. She yelped, freefalling momentarily until she found herself securely caught in the arms of the masked man. Sailor Moon watched on; helpless.

Tuxedo Mask's left gloved hand held Venus's legs as his right seemed to grab rather close to her rear. Sailor Moon watched with growing agitation as he slowly lowered Venus to the ground and she steadied herself against him while her shaky legs found their strength and balance once more. The warrior of the Moon became obviously mortified when she watched him lean in and whisper something into Sailor Venus's ear... Something only she could hear. In return, a deep shade of crimson spread across her cheeks and she gasped, giggled slightly and gently swatted his arm in response.

"You wouldn't dare!" Came Venus's shocked response to Tuxedo Mask's question of:

"I wonder if I should tell Sere that she's actually much heavier to catch than you."

Within half a second of that scene unfolding, Tuxedo Mask turned on his heels and pointed his finger accusingly straight at Sailor Moon, whose scornful expression, wide mouth and balled fists painted the picture of an infuriated, jealous girlfriend about to launch into a yelling match. "Ha!" He exclaimed. A tiny all-knowing smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "That! That right there is _exactly _why it's important for me to protect _you_."

"What?" Sailor Moon promptly snapped her mouth shut and avoided eye contact even though she was still seething beneath the surface.

"Face it Sere, you're jealous!" Tuxedo Mask taunted the blonde heroine in Darien's typical all-knowing tone.

"I-I am not!" Sailor Moon stuttered, embarrassed that she was close to two seconds away from causing a loud, envy-fuelled scene.

"I think this is probably our queue to slip away into the night." Sailor Venus whispered to the other girls, who all nodded solemnly in unison.

"Even if we made a big deal about leaving, I doubt they'd notice. They're both way too absorbed with their own relationship problems." Mars rolled her eyes in agreement.

"It's sickening. I'm so jealous." Jupiter added before the group disbanded, each heading their separate ways, all except Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask.

"Even after all this time…" Tuxedo Mask began, "After all I've done to try to prove that I want _only you_... you _still_ feel insecure."

Sailor Moon sighed through her nose. "I can't help it." She was clearly as disappointed, if not more so, than he was.

"You're ridiculous." Tuxedo Mask quietly sighed as he flicked one of her hair buns. "But I love you." He added, his voice becoming gentle once more. "I'll make you believe me one day."

"Can we just go home?" Sailor Moon de-transformed, her shoulders still slumped in defeat. Tuxedo Mask smiled softly as he nodded and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her back to their apartment.

* * *

Andrew returned to the apartment later that night to find Darien and Serena canoodling on the sofa. The petite teen was fast asleep, leaning on Darien's left arm. The fingers of his right hand idly brushed through her incredibly long locks as he continued to watch the film on the screen.

"Awww..." Andrew feigned a girly tone as he gushed patronisingly, "Aren't you two just the cwootest couple?"

"Drew, I made a mistake." Darien whispered, the tone in his voice sounding urgent. "You have to help me get out of this."

"What?!" Came Andrew's equally hushed response. "What are you talking about?! You've only just gotten togeth-"

"No, my arm!" Darien clarified. "I picked out a movie to watch together. She said it looked like a boring film, but I told her to give it a chance. Now my arm is stuck beneath Sere. She's fallen asleep on me and it has cut off the circulation to my fingertips. The whole left side of my body is numb. I've had pins and needles in my legs for twenty minutes now and I don't know what to do-"

Andrew laughed out loud, covering his mouth with his hands to try and muffle the sound. "You're a boyfriend now. Get used to it, buddy." He turned around and walked to his room, leaving poor Darien faced with the decision of whether to amputate his left arm, or try to pull it out from beneath his girlfriend, potentially waking her from her slumber, and having to face the resulting wrath and fury of grumpy Serena.

"Damn it. Drew!" Darien cursed as loud as he could in whispered form. He could hear his best friend laughing at him in return in the next room. Sighing deeply, Darien lifted up his right hand and continued to gently run his fingers soothingly through Serena's smooth locks. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

. . .

So I hope that has made a few of you a little happier, now that I've updated and there was finally a whole chapter without any angst (a milestone!) I'm still trying to balance the romance with the awkwardness in this relationship. Hmmm... perhaps one more cute chapter before I send Darien away again? I'll try to make it as cute as possible, for you guys. Until the next update,

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	41. How to Date a Guy in (almost) 10 Days

'Kay, this took too long to update. Frankly I'm sick of re-reading this chapter so I'm just going to post the update. Please let me know if there are any errors :) It starts at day 4 because the previous chapter covered the first 3 days of Darien's return.

_**Thanks to:**_ am7700, Marie Allen, huge fan, ellex0, Blommie8, Sara, petites sorcieres, trish1573, Guest, buffy fan, MeliiMamiii, Sailor Fan, emmaduckling, JemDragon84, Miss Moon Rose, CharmedSerenity3, Guest, KittyKat, dayfreshie, kbtjmandy, boston, natashasurgirl, MinnieMoosi, bluebutterfly2006, Wonderwomanbatmanfan, moon86, Red-Elephant, xmoonbunny, Issabela, Alexandra, SeleneJade, Nancy67, TropicalRemix, KHLostEmpress, SailorMoon489, Harrtemis, LoveInTheBattlefield, avalitine, _**and**_ Guest _**for reviewing the previous chapter.**_

* * *

**Title:** Summer Rain  
**Author:** Crystal Saturn  
**Rated:** T  
**Chapter:** 41 – How to Date a Guy in (give or take) 10 Days

"When life gives you love, embrace it; take it in, make it every part of you, but don't be too hasty, for haste can scare love away. Take it slow and let everything happen as it will."  
_[-Unknown.]_

**Day 4/10**

Dawn broke across the sleepless city of Tokyo. Mauve waves of wispy clouds brushed across the sky like webs of silken mist, catching the ever warming rays of glowing sunlight. Serena shivered, but remained silently still, standing on the D Block rooftop of Juuban Municipal High School. From the fourth storey of the building, she watched as small finches chirped, flittering about from tree to tree in the courtyard below.

"'Rena?" Mina rubbed her eyes wearily, clutching at her bomber jacket. She had received Serena's 5AM text message and was so concerned about the urgent tone of the text that she ran out the door, still clad in her pyjama bottoms, her usual silky golden locks tangled from being unbrushed. After another silent moment of staring at Serena's stern, unmoving back, realisation slowly began to dawn upon her.

It was a trap.

Serena never woke any earlier than 7:30AM. Ever. She would never send out an S.O.S through any other means other than her Sailor Soldier communicator. She probably didn't even own a beige twill trench coat, let alone be seen wearing one.

"Mina," The dumpling headed blonde slowly turned around, her stern tone seeming out of character. "I'm glad you came."

"'Rena?" Mina struggled to stifle her laughter. It was Serena; the uneasy wobble as she tried to spin around on her black lace up boots gave it away. "Why are you dressed like you've just stepped out of a 1940's film noir detective movie?"

"Mina, it's important that you keep this conversation secret between us." Serena continued, ignoring her friend's amusement and questions.

"Okay, fine." Mina shrugged, going along with whatever insane plan 5AM Serena had decided to come up with. "But since you got me up at this ungodly hour, this had better be important!"

Another long, drawn out moment of silence for effect passed before Mina let out a loud, forced yawn and turned around to leave.

"Mina..." Serena's voice seemed less firm this time. It quivered, sounding as though she was cold, or scared. "Mina, you remember everything from your past life with Darien… or Eddyminion-"

"Endymion."

"-or whatever, right?"

The façade faltered and failed, melting away with each uncertain word. Serena was back to herself. The show was over. From the tone in her voice, it seemed as though she were hiding, shielding herself and her feelings by trying to make it seem like some sort of staged film.

"Yes, everything." Mina half lied. It was true that she remembered everything, but it was her past life as Princess Minako of Venus; royal courtier, proxy, ambassador, and advisor to the Moon Princess, Serenity, that she remembered. It was almost as delicate as brain surgery; having to balance her lies about her past and pretending to be a princess, and keeping her best friend happy, all the while working to keep fate on course and not separate the two _actual _destined lovers.

"I guess... what I want to know... what I _need_ to know is whether or not your awakening has stirred old feeling for him. Do you still love him?"

'_Crap.'_ Mina inwardly groaned. '_Insecurities.' _"Serena, you know that-"

"I know that you're the type of friend who would lie to my face and tell me you don't when you really do, to try to protect me." Serena interrupted.

"And you're the type of friend who doesn't listen to what her friends say, and would break up with her boyfriend because she thinks-"

"What?" Serena pulled her shoulders back, straightening her posture in a subconsciously animalistic display of dominance. "No, Mina... that's what I came here to talk to you about." Slowly but surely, she began to step around Mina, circling her as she spoke. "Mina, I'm sorry if you still have feelings for Darien-"

"I don't-" Mina's denial fell upon deaf ears as Serena continued her somewhat predatory stalk.

"-but I came here to tell you that you can't. Not anymore." Serena stopped pacing momentarily to try to gauge Mina's reaction, which, for the record, was one of indifference and sleepiness. "That was the old Serena."

"You're still the same Serena..." Mina yawned, impatiently, knowing that nothing she said now would make any difference. Serena has slipped back into film noir mode.

"I can't... no... I _won't _give him up." Serena stomped a foot onto the concrete for emphasis. "Mina, I love him, and Moon Princess or not, I _will _fight you for him."

"Did that hurt your ankle?" Mina tilted her head to the side as she watched her friend try to cover up her cringe.

"I will fight for him. I love him, Mina. I'm in love with Darien, and I'm really sorry if it hurts you to hear it, but he loves me too." Serena spun around so swiftly as she turned to leave, that her hair whipped around her body, almost tangling her up in a maelstrom of golden rope.

"Serena," Mina called out as the rooftop door closed behind her mysterious friend. "'Rena, was that it? What am I supposed to do now? Its 3 hours before school and I'm still in my pyjamas." Mina continued to call out after Serena. "Are you not going to at least buy me breakfast for getting me out of bed this early? 'Rena, how do I get off this rooftop? 'Rena!"

* * *

"Thank you for the work tonight, Miss Risa. I'll see you again on Saturday." Serena bowed, removing her apron before leaving work. She walked out of the cafe, and was greeted by a heart-warming sight; Darien was waiting for her just outside. He smiled as he handed her a chocolate sundae and sipped on his hot mocha. Serena's heart skipped in her chest at the nostalgic feeling flooding through her once again. It was almost like he had never left.

Casually, Serena brushed her fingers against his to test the waters before interlacing them. He practically jumped in his skin, seemingly startled at her move, before clearing his throat to cover it all up. "So…" He squeezed her hand gently, making sure that she knew he too was a willing participant. "How was work?"

"It was…" Her move to hold his hand had been, in her mind, a brilliant one… initially. "-fine. Work was fine." Serena stared down at her melting sundae, glanced over to her other, now engaged hand, then back to her sundae. Darien, trying to maintain his cool composure even though his heart was happily doing somersaults in his chest, kept his gaze forward facing. He was completely oblivious to Serena's dilemma for a block and a half. As the hot fudge on her sundae continued to melt the vanilla ice cream beneath it, the petite blonde soon shifted her attention from her doomed sweet treat, opting to focus on the man beside her instead. She soon forgot all about the melting sundae, and was simply content holding her boyfriend's hand.

"Oh, sorry, you probably need your hand back, huh?" Darien casually released his hold of Serena's delicate fingers, smiling gently as he did. Her gleeful expression faltered. '_No_,' she thought to herself, already missing the warm feeling she felt rush through her body every time he touched her, _'I decided I didn't care about the sundae anymore, as long as I have-'_ her internal, one-sided conversation was interrupted as Darien wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He knew exactly what she wanted.

Fifteen minutes passed like the fleeting kiss of a Summer breeze, and Tokyo's newly formed power-couple soon found themselves at the entrance of their apartment building. Darien reached into his pocket, pulling out his swipe card before Serena swiftly placed a hand on his arm in a gentle protest. "Do we have to go up, right now?" She glanced into the apartment lobby. "Andy's home, making dinner, and I..." her voice trailed away as she lowered her gaze shyly for a second. "I'm not ready to go up, just yet." Lifting herself up onto the tips of her toes, Serena barely managed to graze her lips against Darien's before he finally caught wind of what the flustered teen was trying to say. He lowered his head a little, allowing her better access as she deepened her initiated kiss.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Darien motioned in the direction of the nearby park.

"Hmm…" She had been at school all day, and then at work for most of the evening. "My feet are kinda tired… I don't really feel like walking around."

"How about we go up to the rooftop? We'll have a little more privacy there." With Serena's permission, Darien swiped his entry card, gaining access to the building. He led her into the elevator, and up to the eighth storey of the building.

Once on the rooftop, Serena stretched her arms high above her head, wiggling her fingers as though she were reaching for the stars. Instead of taking a seat, Serena opted to walk over to the ledge of the rooftop, leaning against it as she looked out over the Tokyo city skyline. Darien followed silently from behind. Placing a hand on either side of Serena's arms, he caged her from behind, resting his chin on her head.

"Do you remember when I woke you up and took you up here, late on Christmas eve to watch the snow?" He asked, eventually breaking the comfortable silence "We were standing right at this spot and turned to me with tears in your eyes. I wiped them away, but they kept falling. Your cheeks were pink; from crying or from the cold, I wasn't sure, but you looked so beautiful. I wanted to kiss you, so badly, that night."

"I knew it!" Serena turned her head slightly to catch a glimpse of her beau from the corner of her eyes. "I could see it in your eyes. Everything was perfect that night. The warm fire, all the cosy blankets, the snow, the view, the way you hugged me, the way you looked into my eyes…" She wriggled around to face Darien as she spoke, "I wanted you to kiss me. Surely you knew that, right? You must have known that I had feelings for you, I'm not exactly good at keeping my feelings a secret. So why didn't you make a move? Why didn't you kiss me?"

"I could ask you the same question, since you wanted to kiss me too."

"I guess," Serena began to respond to Darien's playful rhetorical question. "I was waiting for you to make the first move because I didn't want to embarrass myself." She shrugged. "You were just so hot and cold toward me then, and I was so depressed that I cried in front of you, so I wasn't sure if you had set up the rooftop wonderland to try to cheer me up, or if it was because you… liked me." Darien watched as Serena nibbled on her bottom lip nervously during her on the spot confession. "I guess, it was a little harder to believe the latter, considering I made a bit of a fool of myself, randomly crying like that."

"It made me feel a little at ease." Darien shook his head. "I don't really know how to say this without it sounding weird, but I… I liked it. I mean, I liked seeing you open up like that, to me. It was nice to know that I could be there for you. You let me in that day. And believe me when I say, coming from someone who has spent most of his life being guarded, it's not easy." The look in his eyes reflected that of admiration of her courage. "I wish I _did_ kiss you that night, perhaps things would have been different between us. Perhaps I wouldn't have accidentally kissed Diana instead. Perhaps it would have been easier for me to convince you of my feelings for you. Perhaps there would be no question in your mind over whether I want to be with you, or Mina."

"But you wouldn't have gone to Harvard." Serena added, "At least… not like you did."

"No, I suppose not." Another moment of silence passed between the two. "I tried to tell you, you know. So many times. I tried to show you that I liked you."

"When did you realise that you liked me?"

"I don't know..." Darien slowly shrugged his shoulders, taking a moment to mentally sift through their many memories together. "I guess I kind of knew all along, ever since you hit me in the head with that test paper, but I guess I tried to deny it."

Serena's stomach churned uneasily, not sure if she wanted to hear the response to her question. "Did you not want to have feelings for me?"

"I wanted to stay focused on finding the Silver Crystal and The Princess. I wanted my life not to turn up-side-down when you came into it. I wanted to be in control of my feelings and emotions, like I've always been in the past. I wanted to try to ignore the fact that at the end of the day, I just wanted you." Darien found it kind of cathartic to finally get it all off his chest. "I wanted to hold your hand, and make you smile. I wanted to hear you laugh, and know that I was the reason behind it. I wanted you to look at me, the way that you are now. I wanted to always be there for you, to protect you... I just didn't know how to tell you."

"Well, you have me, Mamoru Darien Chiba... Endymion, Prince of the Earth. You have me now."

"Great!" Darien clapped his hands together, instantly lifting the mood as a cheeky sparkle twinkled in his eyes and a broad grin spread across his lips. "Now let's make out."

* * *

**Day 5/10**

It was a typical Wednesday afternoon. Darien casually stepped into the apartment, dropping his gym bag at the door as he kicked off his shoes. A quick glance around the apartment revealed Serena, seated at the dining table, surrounded by open textbooks. Her head rested beside one as she let out an occasional loud snore. She had fallen asleep studying.

Trying to remain as quiet as possible, so as not to startle her awake, Darien slowly approached Serena from behind, slowly wrapping his arms around her shoulders as he kissed her cheek. She began to stir, murmuring something about macaroni and cheese.

"I love coming home to you" Darien's deep voice murmured against her neck. He placed a gentle kiss against her cheek as she roused.

"I love..." Serena's somewhat raspy voice halted in mid-sentence as she pulled away "You stink." She scrunched up her nose in disgust.

Darien smiled a little sheepishly. "I just came back from the gym, so I'm kinda sweaty"

"Eww, gross." Using a fingertip to tentatively push against Darien's chest, Serena attempted to lean even further away. "Go take a shower... stanky"

The smile spread across Darien's lips as he straightened himself, talking two steps towards the shower. "Aren't girls supposed to be turned on by this sort of thing? You know... man muskiness"

"Ehhh no." Serena scrunched up her nose once again, poking her tongue out to display her distain while making gagging motions.

"At least you know I'm comfortable enough around you-"

"To stop taking showers?" Serena shot her boyfriend an incredulous look. "Pass! Well we had a good five days... It was nice dating you." She joked; earning Darien's balled up, sweaty shirt to the face in return.

* * *

Not long after dinner, Darien strolled out onto the apartment balcony, taking in the view of the Tokyo city skyline. He could hear the shuffle of Serena's light footsteps on the carpet, approaching him from behind. She rested her hands on Darien's hips momentarily, before inching them higher and higher, slipping her fingers beneath the fabric of his shirt.

"Aarghh!" Darien jolted back, grabbing both of Serena's wrists and yanking them away from his body forcefully. "Your hands are freezing!"

"I just washed some dishes." Serena's innocent blue eyes looked back up at him, but he knew her better than that. He could see the vague hint of a smile playing at the corner of her lips.

"Why are you touching me?!"

"Because my hands are cold." The petite blonde rolled her eyes, trying to hide her relief from trying to keep a straight face. "Duh. Seriously, you have a degree with honours and you still can't figure that out?" She stretched her fingers out towards Darien and he swatted the backs of her hands defensively.

"Do I look like your personal hot water bottle?" He pressed his back against the balcony rail, trying to distance himself as much as possible.

"Channing Tatum warmed his wife's fingers in The Vow." Serena pouted. "He was happy to do it. It was their_ thing_."

"Rachel McAdams was considerate enough to not freeze scare her husband after washing the dishes, thank you miss Ice Queen Elsa." Darien rebutted. "_And_ you're lucky that I even understand both those references because, I, Darien, being the wonderful, considerate boyfriend that I am, let you pick movie night films all the time."

"But Channing Ta-"

Darien dropped Serena's fingers before sidestepping her and walking back into the apartment.

"Wait," Serena followed him as he stalked through the dining area and into the hallway. "Are you actually angry at me?" She continued to persistently poke his back as he ignored her. "Or are you jealous because I keep talking about Chann-"

Darien expelled a short, sharp sigh through his nose as he turned to face his girlfriend. His low, wrinkled brow and stern expression softened slightly as his gaze fell upon her. He couldn't stay mad. She was too beautiful. Reaching down, he gently grasped each of her hands, massaging them lightly as he felt them warm up in his own. He kissed each and every one of her knuckles, listening to her quiet giggles as he went. Ever so gently, he lowered her hands back down to her sides and let go.

"Go marry Channing Tatum if he's just _so_ perfect." Darien deadpanned, turning and walking into his room. "We had a good five and a half days. It was nice dating you."

"That's not even funny. You're not funny." It took Serena a moment to click. "Oh my gosh!' She couldn't help but smile as she slowly followed him. "You _are_ jealous!"

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are!" Serena slipped her fingers just beneath Darien's shirt, causing him to reel back once again.

"Stop that. I'm ticklish there." Darien grumbled.

"I know." Serena lunged again; trying to break through her boyfriend's swatting defences. "Darien Chiba, Prince of the Earth is jealous of another man." Success, she broke through, grazing her fingers against the sensitive skin of his hips

"Stop it, Sere! Don't- Sere!"

* * *

The mirrors were foggy with steam from the warm bath. Serena dipped her toes in for a second, testing the water before slipping into the tub. She sighed, feeling her muscles slowly relax as she sank lower into her bath. Clusters of foamy bubbles swirled around her chest. The stage was set.

"Dar?" Serena's melodic voice called out from the bathroom. "Darien!"

"Yeah?" Following the sound of her voice, Darien pushed the slightly ajar bathroom door. His eyes fell upon Serena, sitting in the tub. "Nope!" He retreated, backing out the door once again.

"Wait!" Serena called out.

"Mmmm?" Darien walked backwards into the bathroom, trying to avoid facing his naked bathing girlfriend.

"Didn't you want to join me?"

"Hnnnnnggg…" Darien raised the knuckle of his right index finger to his lips, biting down as his blood pressure rose. "You _do_ know that Andrew is just in the laundry, downstairs, right?" He listened to her splashing around.

"Then lock the door behind you."

"Sere, as much as I would really, _really_ love to strip down and dive into that tiny bathtub with you, my best friend, who I have recently learned has started training in mixed martial arts, and who also happens to be your overprotective older cousin, is literally only nine storeys below us." Darien explained, retreating back to the safety of the hallway before speaking through the closed door. "And he has this uncanny ability to sense whenever we're about to do someth-"

"Dude…" Andrew interrupted, seeming to appear out of nowhere beside Darien, figuratively scaring the life out of him. "Are you trying to peek on 'Rena while she's in the bath?"

"What?! NO!" Darien leaped a further three feet down the hall.

"Then why are you standing right up against the door?" Andrew watched the sketchy younger man shudder under his gaze. "Girls don't dig guys who are clingy, you know. You should stop being so co-dependent and give 'Rena some space."

"No, I am, I just-"

"I don't want to know what's going through your perverted mind." Andrew waved his hands about dismissively. "I just came up because I forgot my laundry detergent, but now I have it, I won't be back up for at least another hour." And with that, he was gone.

Darien sighed, turning around to lean his forehead against the bathroom door.

"Well, you heard him." He could hear Serena's sing-songy voice call out from the other side of the door. "We've got at least an hour."

"Hnnnngggg…"

* * *

**Day 6/10**

"Well, I think my handicap's improved." Andrew chuckled as he strolled out of the apartment elevator with Darien, "Of course, it probably wasn't the smartest decision to play golf so soon after you healed my ribs, but I don't think they've ever felt better."

"Speak for yourself." Darien muttered, tugging at his shoulder, rotating the joint around in its socket. "Healing takes a lot out of me. I think I pulled a muscle." Shrugging off his discomfort, he retrieved the apartment key from his pocket, and slipped it into the lock. Turning the key, Darien swung the door, only opening it partially before yanking it back toward him and slamming it shut again.

"Uhh… Drew," The dark haired man gripped hold of the door knob tightly. "I um, left a cake that I bought for Sere in the car, and I'm busting to take a leak… do you mind getting it for me?" Darien struggled to breathe, let alone suppress the rising blush spreading across his face.

"Why don't you just go back for it later?" Andrew, oblivious to the fact that Serena was standing on the other side of the apartment door, dressed in a short, skimpy maid costume, black high heels, white knee-high lace fishnet stockings, while brandishing a feather duster, simply shrugged.

"Cream…" Darien abruptly blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "The cream will melt and I don't want it to make a mess…" He quickly handed his car keys over to Andrew, physically spun him around and gave him a shove towards the elevator.

Taking a short breath, Darien braced himself before opening the door once more. Her cheeks were flushed from a mixture of embarrassment and excitement.

"Sere, what are you doing?"

"I… uh…" She nibbled on her bottom lip shyly, "Welcome home, master?"

"Sere, you're going to get us in trouble, walking around dressed like that!" Darien's voice lowered as though there was a chance that Andrew would hear them from the basement of the building. His eyes darted toward the front door and he reached behind him to lock the door, just in case. "I just sent Andrew to my car to get a cake that doesn't exist, and he'll be back any minute now."

"Andy's home too?" Serena's eyes widened as panic set in.

"He was right beside me when I opened the door!" Hints of anxiety cracked through Darien's strained voice as he subconsciously checked the door again. Convinced they were safe for at least another 30 seconds, Darien turned back to Serena, whose face had now paled. "I don't think he saw you."

"Oh…" She lowered her head in utter embarrassment, tugging on the bottom of her skirt to somehow magically lengthen it. "I thought you were alone, coming back from the gym." Slowly and silently, she turned around and began to walk down the hall to her room.

"God damn it, Serena." Darien groaned as he caught glimpses of her bottom swaying beneath her impossibly short black skirt. It was the first time since he had walked through the door that he had paid any real attention to what she was wearing. "You look incredibly sexy." A smile broke through her disappointed face and as she turned around, Darien leapt to close the distance between them in two long strides. Bending down, he grabbed hold of one of her legs, lifting her up and pinning her back against a wall. She wrapped her legs around his waist as his lips devoured her. After a long minute of passionate indulgence, Darien's kisses turned from a roaring flame to a simmer as he slowly lowered her back on to the floor. "I _really_ like this costume." He shuffled back to get another good long look at her outfit. "But we can't do this right now…"

"I know…" Serena sighed in frustration. "Andy will walk in any minute now…" Rolling her eyes, she slowly straightened herself out and walked over to her bedroom. Just as she reached her door, her tiny lace apron dropped to the ground. Bending over, she reached down to pick it up, causing her skirt to lift completely from behind.

"Hnnnnnnnnnnnng….." Darien refused to tear his eyes away from the scene as Serena rose back up and turned to face her boyfriend. "You make it impossibly hard for me, you know."

Serena's eyes dropped from his face as she caught a glimpse of him below the waist. "Oh, I can see that." She poked her tongue out, a mischievous sparkle twinkled in her eyes as she shut her bedroom door behind her and listened as Darien groaned once more on the other side.

* * *

"Hello, Reika?" Darien drummed his fingers on the kitchen bench top with nervous anticipation.

"Darien! It's good to hear from you again. How is it, being home again?"

"It's great." Darien's nervous voice kept him from saying too much more. "I'm really enjoying spending time at home." An awkward silence befell the two, and Darien's finger rapping stopped. He struggled to get to his point. "I... uh... Sere-... hmmm"

"You want me to distract Andy so you can have some time alone with Serena?" Reika knew exactly where this conversation was heading.

"Only for a night or two." Relief washed across Darien's features. He was almost glad that he didn't have to explain himself. "Just so I can cook her a nice dinner and hold her hand and just... talk to her without Drew watching me like a hawk and polishing his gun-"

"Andy has a gun?"

"It's a plastic gaming peripheral." Darien corrected. "I'm pretty sure it's from an old Time Crisis game... but still, it's unnerving and just a little bit disturbing."

Reika released a slow sigh. "I'm dating a dork." She groaned. "Of course, Darien, I'd be happy to help you wherever possible. I'll try to keep him out for 2 nights, at least."

"I owe you one, Reika."

"Just remember this moment for when Andrew and I get married, and make sure he isn't late." Reika smiled through the phone.

* * *

**Day 7/10**

The streets of Azabu-Juuban shopping district burst with lantern lit fanfare and exuberant life as the Friday night markets drew local crowds and visitors alike to the endless rows of treasure packed tents and delectable food stalls. The air of the night hummed with excitement and electricity as the energy of the crowd squeezing past each other mingled with that of the humid Summer night.

Serena squealed in excitement as she dragged Darien around from food stall to stuffed animal tent, and then back to another food stall during their date. He simply smiled, watching her, completely comfortable in her element as she devoured various dumplings, sweets and numerous _taiyaki_.

"Serena?" A male voice stopped her in her tracks and she looked about her to find the source.

"Oh, hey Eric." Serena's cheeks immediately flushed a deep shade of red as the surrounding sea of people seemed to part for the tall, handsome student.

"I didn't know you liked night markets." He casually brushed the dark bangs away from his eyes and the right corner of his mouth lifted to form a cool smile. "You should've told me, we could've gone together."

"Sere..?" Darien approached the suddenly bashful girl from behind.

"Dar," Her voice seemed to fade, as though she were distracted; deep in thought. Or perhaps she, like the other small clusters of ever-growing teenage girls around them, had become mesmerised by his dreaminess. Darien watched as Serena blinked a few times, as through breaking out of her trance, before turning to him and smiling. "Uh, this is my friend Eric, we go to school together. He's in my homeroom class."

"We've been in most of the same classes since grade 1." The stranger corrected, a small smile gracing his features. A small collective sigh swept through the small clusters of young female onlookers. Darien rolled his eyes.

"Most-" Serena smiled cheerfully, innocently. "These days Eric takes a lot of advanced classes, so it's almost like I only ever see him at homeroom."

"Really?" Was all Darien could muster as he watched this subtly histrionic teenage _boy_ eyeballing his girlfriend right in front of him. "Impressive."

"It's only advanced chemistry, biology, physics and maths." Eric shrugged, feigning a cool, casual composure as he flicked his head back to shift the hair away from his eyes once more in a gesture that sent the local population of teenage girls within proximity into a sighing frenzy.

"Totally smart-" Serena began before being cut off by the man standing beside her.

"I took advanced classes in high school, too." Darien interrupted, feeling oddly uneasy at how this Eric character kept holding Serena's gaze. "And I started my undergraduate degree in senior year."

"Wow," Eric bowed respectfully, seemingly misconstruing the situation and picking up on Darien's seniority. "You must be Serena's tutor."

"Uhh... sorry." Serena realised her lapse in concentration. "I didn't properly introduce you. This is Darien, he's my..." The drawn out pause caused Darien to stare down at his girlfriend, raising an eyebrow incredulously.

"Oh, 'Rena, before I forget, there's this market booth I'd like to show you! It's run by a dumpling specialist from Beijing." Eric turned to Darien briefly, "I hope you don't mind if I steal 'Rena away for a moment, _Sir_." Before he knew it, Darien's girlfriend was being whisked away before his eyes.

There were a number of things that pissed him off about that whole scene. Being referred to as 'Sir', not being properly introduced initially, Eric stealing Serena away to show her the dumpling stand that he wanted to take her to. But the one thing that really got under his skin was the fact that Serena faltered and failed to introduce him as her boyfriend.

So Darien followed, six steps behind, sulking in his usual Darien broody manner as he watched strapping young Eric whisk Serena off her feet. Literally. In the blink of an eye, he had somehow convinced Serena to join him, dancing a jig in the middle of the market square. She was laughing out loud, in a completely carefree way that Darien had only successfully managed a handful of times. So Darien wandered over to a nearby game booth, picked up some darts and kept himself occupied so that he wouldn't have to watch Serena dancing with another man.

"Thank you, for the dumplings and the dance." Serena smiled and pulled away, distancing herself from Eric after another moment of dancing. "I really should be getting back to my boyfriend now."

"Your boyfriend?" The tone of Eric's voice sounded like he was surprised, but Darien knew it was all just a part of his act to woo Serena under the pretence that he was innocent of knowing that she was otherwise romantically involved.

"Yes, Darien." Serena's smile continued, unwavering. Darien's ears pricked at the mention of his name and he found himself unconsciously walking closer to try to hear more.

"_He_'s your boyfriend?" This time, Eric seemed genuinely surprised to hear Serena validate her relationship so clearly. "But he's so old and boring, and so totally unlike you."

"I love him." Serena replied simply. She didn't see or hear Darien approaching from behind. "I'm in love with him." She shrugged as though it were the most logical response in the world. "We may have our differences, but we complete each other and support each other's weaknesses. To me, he's perfect. He's smart, romantic, witty, and he gives me strength and hope. He's always there to protect m-" Serena gushed, obviously so smitten that she began to get carried away.

"May I cut in for this dance?" Darien could barely contain the smug look on his face as he watched Eric's defeated expression to Serena's response. Without waiting for the reply, Darien wrapped an arm around Serena's waist while his other hand found hers, fingers interlacing immediately, and he guided them a full 180 degrees so that Eric could stare only at the back of Serena's head. Eventually, he got the hint, disappearing into the dense crowd around them.

"Where did you go?" The petite blonde swayed gently in Darien's embrace. "You disappeared for a second, I was getting worried."

"_You_'_re_ the one who ran off, and from where I was standing, you didn't look very concerned to have lost me." He struggled to keep his trademark collectedness intact.

"Are you... jealous?" Innocence gave way to a coy smile as Serena tilted her head slightly, watching Darien flinch momentarily before his cheeks gradually turned a light shade of pink.

"Of course not." He frowned. Serena simply waited. "Yes, incredibly." Darien eventually confessed. "You didn't tell him who I was, and that worried me a little."

"But, why would it? You're..." Serena lifted up a finger, gently tracing along his jaw. "-perfect."

"He's pretty much a younger version of me." Darien scowled. "All those fan girls gushing and sighing all around him... That used to happen to me." He explained before letting out a small sigh. "I feel so old.

"You _are_ old." Serena smirked playfully, earning a glare for her efforts. "But it's good. It means I don't have to fight a bunch of fan girls to get to you."

"Tell me I'm handsome." Darien nuzzled Serena's nose with his as they continued to sway to the music.

"You're handsome." Serena grinned at Darien's unreasonable insecurities.

"Better looking than Eric?"

Serena opened her mouth to respond, but decided to pause in thought instead.

"Sere!" Darien stopped, releasing his hold of his girlfriend.

"I'm kidding." Serena winked before tackle-hugging Darien and squeezing him tightly. "There's no contest." She felt him relax beneath her. "And I promise to tattoo _'Property of Darien Chiba' _on my forehead as soon as you leave."

"_Thank_ you!"

* * *

**Day 8/10**

Day 8 of Darien's trip home happened to coincide with Serena's 18th birthday. He booked a large table at Restaurante Luna for Serena and her friends to celebrate the occasion. As much as Darien had loved his initial idea of spending her birthday night locked in his bedroom, he knew that Serena's friends were an integral part of her life, and so was food. Besides, the night was still young.

"Darien?" A clear, female voice cut through the boisterous chatter of the group just as they were about to enter the restaurant. "Darien, are you back already?" A tall brunette woman practically ran up to Darien, throwing her arms around him in a spontaneous embrace. Like homing missile, Serena's attention immediately ripped away from the animated conversation she had previously been engaged in with her girl friends, and focused directly on the stranger.

"Sasha," Darien let out a straggled yelp as he flailed slightly, attempting to pry the woman off of him. Talk about bad timing. The last thing he needed right now was a scene, and an overly dramatic crying girlfriend, screaming accusingly at him for ruining her birthday and for being a man-whore. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just passing by, on the way home from Uni." Sasha explained, slowly batting her long, thick lashes. "What about you? I thought you weren't due back for another year or so."

"Ah, I'm not. I'm only back for ten days." Darien politely tried to keep the conversation short as a subtle way of not engaging or showing interest in engaging in a catch up session. "I'm just here to have dinner with-"

"Hi, I'm Serena!" The blonde teenager suddenly appeared right beside Darien, offering her hand out. "I'm Darien's girlfriend." She beamed, hiding her intimidation and jealousy as best as she could, with faux confidence.

"Oh, hello Serena. It's nice to meet you…" Sasha's brows rose as she looked down at the shorter woman with surprise before turning back to Darien. "This…was the girl you had to run home to on Valentine 's Day?" She watched as Darien reddened, turning to smile warmly at his girlfriend. He never really got to explain to Serena the reason he was late that night, or just how frantically he tried to rush home to be there for her dinner. Sasha's stomach churned and her smile faltered. "My, aren't you…" her eyes openly roamed Serena's outfit, falling on her chest, before returning up to her face. "-Small."

"Well," Darien cleared his throat, deciding to step in before a full-blown cat fight broke out on the restaurant steps. "You know what they say," He turned to smile at his now agitated girlfriend, eyes focused solely on her, trying to reengage her focus. It worked. The invisible lines of rage emanating from Serena subdued as she saw the adoring look in Darien's eyes, reserved only for her. "Good things come in small packages."

"Well then," Sasha shot daggers through lowered lashes. "I hope you have a good dinner…"

"Oh, we will." Darien shot back, smiling and feigning ignorance of the sarcasm in her voice. He turned back to his girlfriend once more, "I'm particularly looking forward to dessert. We might even take it back home with us, to enjoy... alone." Leaning over, he captured Serena's lips against his own. By the time they pulled away, Sasha had disappeared in disgust and the girls and Andrew were inside the restaurant, sneakily watching the drama unfold behind the safety of the restaurant windows.

"Shall we go inside?" Serena slowly pulled away from her intimate embrace in the middle of the sidewalk. She watched as Darien remained silent, smiling down at her. "What?"

"You introduced yourself as my girlfriend." His smile turned into a broad grin.

"Well, I didn't know if you were going to." Serena stuck her nose up into the air, crossing her arms.

"Of course I was going to…" Darien chuckled as he reassured. "Are you jealous?"

Serena pouted. "No."

"You're a horrible liar."

"Fine, yes. A little." She finally admitted, her arms still firmly folded against her chest.

"So you introduced yourself as my girlfriend." Darien smiled. "I liked hearing it come from you, and when I'm gone, I'd like to think that you'll keep telling people that you're my girlfriend. I can't be here fighting off the Eric's of the world."

"Of course I will." Serena slipped her hand into Darien's as they walked into the restaurant. "What happened just then? Get used to it. I needed to stake my territory." She lifted her chin confidently and Darien let out another small chuckle.

. . .

"I'm glad you managed to get Andy out of the house tonight." Serena sighed contently as she adjusted the cord of her pyjama pants before crawling under the covers of Darien's bed. "I love being able to fall asleep next to you without having to worry about Andy running in, waving around a meat cleaver."

"Mhmm..." Darien agreed, silently wondering if that scenario was too farfetched, or still somewhat realistic. Slowly lifting his shirt up, he tossed it aside before also slipping into bed.

Serena scooted closer, snuggling up to Darien. He reached an arm around, tucking it under Serena's neck as she rested her head on his shoulder. He waited for another moment and Serena gently placed her other hand on his abdomen. Nothing more.

"You're not trying anything funny? We're _alone_ tonight." Darien broke the silence, turning his head slightly and catching a glimpse of Serena. Her eyes were closed and a peaceful smile graced her lips.

"Nope." She reached over to hold Darien's hand. "I like this. This is nice." She smiled again, taking a deep breath and inhaling his scent. After a week of teasing and unresolved tension, Serena found herself too exhausted to make a move tonight. "Perhaps... after a little nap." She yawned, slowly drifting off to sleep. "I'm so happy right now."

* * *

. . .

So that's it for now. For those of you who haven't already done so, please feel free to add me on the Facebooks. The link is on my profile, or just search up "Crystal Saturn". That way you can instantly badger me to update. In real time! Also, I'm more likely to respond to any questions you may have if you fb me.

Also, occasionally, bolts of inspiration strike me and I post up one-shots that are only found in my facebook notes. So, if you want to have a read of those, you'll have to add me :D The next chapter is a crazy one, so I'll update when I can!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


	42. 24 Hours

Here's the next chapter, everyone! (Takes a deep breath)

**Thanks to:** CowabungaBabe95, new-desi-serena, AlianaKensington, Miss Moon Rose, dayfreshie, Syulai, SailorMoon489, SeleneJade, dancingfingers, kbtjmandy, moon86, nofreakingway, Wonderwomanbatmanfan, Tamchan, animegirl73, tryntee13, Red-Elephant, KHLostEmpress, MinnieMoosi, issabela, am7700, kera69love, TropicalRemix, CharmedSerenity3 **and** petites sorcieres **for reviewing the previous chapter.**

* * *

**Title: **Summer Rain**  
Author: **Crystal Saturn**  
Rated: **T**  
Chapter:** 42 – 24 hours.

"We don't meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason."  
_[-Unknown]_

**Day 9/10**

"Good Morning, Darien." The faint sound of a familiar female voice floated down the hallway, rousing Serena from her slumber. She knew that voice. As soft and muffled as it was, filtered by the walls of the apartment, she knew that voice.

_Darien._ Serena's mind foggily wandered and she reached her hand out to find the bed beside her was empty.

"Have you asked her yet?" The female voice could be heard; responding to Darien's muffled response to her greeting. "It was Serena's birthday yesterday," The petite blonde's ears pricked at the sound of her name. Scurrying out of bed, she searched the floor for the clothes that she had somehow 'lost' during the course of the night. Hastily throwing them on, Serena rushed to the door, opening it as quietly as possible as she prowled down the hallway. "I would have thought that that was the perfect time to ask her." The voice sounded so clear, undiminished by doors and walls. Serena knew for certain whom it belonged to now. How could she forget the sound of her own mother's voice?

"I-" Darien stumbled on his words. "I guess I'm just trying to work up the courage and find the perfect moment to ask her. What if she says 'no'?"

"I'm certain she won't, Mamoru."

"Mama?" Serena leaped out of the shadows of the hallway.

"Eek!" The screen flashed before the words _'The other user has disconnected from the video call. Redial?'_ appeared.

"Sere, you're awake!" Darien swiftly rose to his feet and immediately tried to cover up his secret conversation by embracing his girlfriend.

"Drrrhmmm" Serena's muffled questions were smothered out by Darien's shoulder as he hugged her tightly. She frowned and flailed her arms, struggling to breathe before Darien finally released her. "Dar, why were you talking to mama?"

"Was I?" Darien foolishly attempted to lie, but knew immediately that Serena could see straight through it. "I mean, sure... of course I was." He cleared his throat nervously. "She called to check up on you, but you were asleep and she didn't want to wake you so... I... um... had a chat with her."

Serena's eyes lowered into a suspicious stare. "What are you and mama hiding?"

"Hiding?" Darien ducked past Serena as he strolled into the kitchen in a subconscious attempt to evade the conversation. He reached for his usual coffee cup and began preparing a brew. "We're not hiding anything."

"Then why did mama seem surprised and disconnect the call when I walked in?" Serena stalked her boyfriend, refusing to settle for whatever mediocre excuse he would try to come up with next. "And why won't you just tell me what the two of you were talking about? What did she want you to ask me?"

"It's nothing, Sere." Darien shrugged, trying to act blasé even though his cheeks were still red from being caught out. "

"If it's nothing, then why can't you just tell me?" The frustration began to build up in Serena's voice as the conversation seemed to be going nowhere. "You know what? I'm just going to call mama back and ask her for myself."

"No, you can't do that." Darien bolted from the kitchen and lunged for the console remote, snatching it away before Serena could reach it.

"Why not?!" Serena stomped her foot onto the ground in agitation. She hated secrets. Okay, so that wasn't exactly true, but she hated when _she_ was the one who didn't know them.

"Because Ikuko-mama can't lie to you, and it would ruin the surprise." Darien hid the remote behind his back.

"...Surprise?" Serena's posture finally relaxed slightly. She bought it.

"Yes, surprise, Sere. And you'll ruin it if you ask anymore." Darien moved slowly, cautiously placing the remote back on the coffee table, testing her trust.

"What kind of surprise is it?" The curious side of Serena soon replaced the hulk version of Serena that had previously almost taken over. "Is it a good one?"

"Of course it's a good one." Darien breathed a small sigh of relief. He wouldn't have to tell her. Not just yet.

"Wait..." Serena paused in thought. "Ikuko-_mama_?" She questioned, watching as Darien's eyes widened slightly as though realising that he had just made a mistake. "Since when did you start calling her Ikuko-_mama_? And why did she call you _Mamoru_?"

"Well..." Darien drew out his response, buying as much time as possible. "We _are_ dating now."

"Yes but-"

"I _could_ keep calling her Aunty Ikuko, but I just thought that it might imply that we're cousins and since we're dating, that would just be weird." Darien interrupted.

"But-"

"Don't you have somewhere to be right now?" Darien continued to deflect, refusing Serena's attempts to question him any further lest she decided that she was actually quite determined to find out what this surprise was.

"No, but I-"

"You know, like... the shower?" Darien spun his girlfriend around, nudging her back down the hallway. "Because I heard that your boyfriend wants to take you out for brunch, but he refuses to be seen with you dressed in your bunny pyjamas."

"Fine." Serena huffed her bangs away from her eyes in defeat. Darien waited until he could hear the sound of water running in the bathroom before he breathed a small sigh of relief and reached for the console remote again.

_Redial_

"Out of the frying pan, into the fire." Darien mumbled under his breath just as the call connected once more, and Serena's mother appeared on the other end of the line. "Sorry about that, Ikuko-mama..." He cleared his throat, painfully aware that his cheeks were burning red from the informal title. "Your daughter can be very persistent..."

"Well, just as long as you know what you're getting yourself into..." Ikuko smiled, nodding her head slowly.

* * *

"Hungry, Sere?" Darien placed the book he was reading back down on the coffee table as Serena strolled into vision. The white lace trim of her silk dress skimmed about her legs as she moved. Her dress fit perfectly, which made him happy. He recognised it instantly as the dress he had bought her for Christmas. She looked so graceful and mature, almost like a princess.

"Of course." Serena placed a hand on either side of her hips, and almost in an instant, the illusion was broken. "I can't believe you had to ask. It's like you don't even know me." She winked. "Where are we going for brunch?"

"You're about to tell me." Darien rose to his feet, tossing a blindfold at Serena who fumbled for a moment before grasping it securely in her hands. She frowned slightly, examining it with an uneasy curiosity. Darien refrained from revealing anything until they were in the basement level of their apartment building, seated securely in his car. Gently taking the blindfold from Serena's fingers, he covered up her eyes with it. "Okay, you're going to give me instructions on where to go." He turned the keys in the ignition and his car roared to life.

"But... I can't see." Serena pouted, trying to sneak a peek.

"That's the point." Darien reversed out of his park. "You give me random instructions. I follow your directions and hopefully, we end up somewhere with a delicious menu."

He turned his head briefly to gauge Serena's reaction. The small smile on her face began to grow. "This sounds like fun!" She giggled before delivering her first set of instructions. "Turn left at the next intersection, then keep straight for another 2 sets of lights." Serena could feel the gears of the car shift and the momentum change as Darien followed her instructions. "Turn left again at the next set of lights." She instructed again once she felt the need to. "Turn right whenever possible. Take the next left. Straight for a kilometre and then turn right."

Darien pulled the car up to the corner of where Serena had instructed and chuckled in disbelief as Serena removed her blindfold. "It's... the most expensive bar in Tokyo."

"Can we even eat here?" A valet rushed to the car and opened the passenger side door for Serena. Obviously, the fact that Darien was driving around in a rather expensive red sports car had convinced the staff that this was no mistake. They were here to spend some money.

Sighing to himself and mentally berating 17-year-old-Darien for thinking that it would be a good idea to buy a sports car with his inheritance money, Darien took a moment to formulate a plan in his head. At ¥4000 yen for a glass of wine, there was absolutely no way he could possibly afford even an entrée meal here. But the valet had arrived, and they couldn't back down from this now. They needed a graceful out, without embarrassing themselves... too much.

"Head in to the bar and order yourself a virgin daiquiri." Darien instructed as Serena slowly slipped her legs out of the car.

"Then what?" Her eyes wandered across the mass of gold chroming clinging onto virtually every surface of the entrance.

"I'll pick up the tab." Prompted by another Valet, Darien too stepped out of his car. He reached for a red rose from his coat pocket. "Play along." He smiled, hinting at his transformation.

Serena took in a nervously shaky breath as she ascended the steps and a doorman greeted her. There was absolutely no way she could even afford to be seen in a place like this. As she entered, she noticed a number of patrons turn to glance briefly in her direction. There were a number of wealthy looking businessmen sitting at a few tables, debating whether or not to invest millions in this or that company. But the main demographic of the bar seemed to consist of well-dressed middle-aged women, sitting in small groups, politely discussing recent purchases at upmarket boutiques and trading success stories of their children and grandchildren.

Serena took another deep breath as she tried to steadily walk toward the bar and take a seat without tripping, falling or generally making any other scene. "One virgin daiquiri." She quietly requested as the bartender nodded and scuttled away to prepare her drink. Looking around, she noticed that she was probably the youngest woman in the bar, by some years, and that everybody else was sipping away at wine.

_Don't make eye contact. Just be cool. Look like you belong here._ Serena mentally coached herself, clearing her throat to cover up the fact that her stomach was beginning to rumble from being starved of food.

The presence of another person entering the bar seemed to stir the room and hushed, excited murmurs roused from the nearby group of ladies.

"Excuse me Miss," A deep voice pulled Serena's attention away from the polished bar and she turned to find Darien, dressed in his tuxedo and tails, smiling down at her. His deep blue eyes twinkled with a hint of mischievousness. "Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?"

It took every fibre of self-restraint in Serena's whole being to stop her from laughing out loud at his cheesy pick-up line. Evidently though, he had won over the nearby table of middle-aged ladies, who seemed to be swooning and giggling at his suave, sophisticated manner. Serena chewed the inside of her cheek in an attempt to keep from bursting out into laughter at their reactions.

Undeterred, Darien reached into his coat jacket, pulling out a red rose and offering it to Serena while slipping his credit card onto the bar for the bartender to settle the tab. "Roses are red," He began in all seriousness. "Bananas are yellow." He somehow managed to pull a banana from the inside of his coat pocket, and placed it down on the bar. "Would you care to leave, with this lucky fellow?"

That was it. Serena couldn't take any more. She snorted out loud as waves of laughter shook her small frame before she eventually clasped her hands across her lips to subdue her loud laughs. All the while, Darien simply continued his cool, collected façade, smiling at her warmly as he held his hand out. After a few more moments of broken laughter and a deep sip of her daiquiri, Serena nodded, taking Darien's hand as he escorted her out of the bar.

It had been a totally bad-ass swanky James Bond move, until Darien reached his car and buckled himself in.

"Damn it!" He cursed out loud, smacking his hand on the steering wheel.

"What is it?" Serena glanced over at her boyfriend. He slowly unbuckled his seatbelt, resting his head back as he sighed.

"I left my credit card back at the bar." He groaned. "I'm going to have to go back in there to get it."

. . .

"Okay, turn left here and in 5 seconds, pull over." Serena instructed and waited for the car to come to a complete stop before removing the blindfold at '_random date location: take two'_.

"You're kidding, right?" Darien leant back and released his grip on the steering wheel, looking up at the flashing neon sign above them. "Of all places you could have randomly directed us to... we ended up at the arcade?"

Serena's stomach grumbled loudly at the thought of a batch of fresh curly fries, a burger and her usual double chocolate sundae. The sound was only drowned out by Darien's soft chuckle. "You're such a cheap date."

"Well at least we can vouch for the service and the food." Serena practically jumped out of the car as she pounced toward the sliding doors of the Crown Arcade.

"Andyyyyy." The blonde teen draped her upper body over the counter dramatically. "Sustenance..."

"I leave you in Darien's care for two days, and he neglects to feed you." Andrew crossed his arms as he shook his head in mock disappointment, watching Darien walk through the door.

"That's not true." Darien protested, still wearing his tuxedo. "_Someone_ decided to navigate us to Bvlgari bar."

"Ouch..." Andrew's eyes widened. "Did you have to sell your soul for an entrée?"

"Just my pride... for a virgin daiquiri." The dark haired man sat down on the bar stool beside his girlfriend.

"Still... hungry..." Serena whined. Convinced that she would get fed faster if she put the order in herself, Serena stood up from her seat and stomped into the back kitchen area to speak with Chef Sakai.

"So," Andrew began preparing their usual drinks. "Before you left for America, both you and Serena had strange nose-bleeds practically every time you were in the same room. How's that been going?"

A moment of silence passed between the two and Darien found himself recalling strange fragments of lost memories from when he last blacked out. Glancing up at the clock on the wall to try to ground himself in reality, Darien slowly shook his head. "I haven't had any dreams or other adverse reactions since coming home."

"Do you think it's because Mina's... you know... The Princ-" Thankfully, Andrew happened to turn on the milkshake blender at the exact same time, concealing the secret of the century.

"Maybe." Darien mused, "It's weird to think that I've been dreaming of Mina this whole time though." He added. "And we still haven't found the Legendary Silver Crystal yet."

"Well, whatever it is that caused you two to have those weird side effects, I'm glad it's all over." Andrew slid Darien's mocha milkshake across the counter and he immediately took a small sip. "I'm glad it's all finally working out for you, _bro_." Andrew emphasised, insinuating that he knew something that he wasn't necessarily meant to and Darien practically choked on his mouthful of milkshake.

"What are you guys talking about?" Serena pushed the café saloon doors open and squeezed through before they swung back and smacked her from behind.

"Nothing!" Darien replied a little too quickly, desperate for his surprise to remain so, yet curious to find out what his best friend knew.

Andrew cheerily smiled back. "Your usual double choc, 'Rena." He slid the order over to where Serena had sat down.

"Okaaaay," The petite blonde drawled, shrugging at the suspicious behaviour of her company. "Chef said lunch won't be too long..."

. . .

"So... it's your last day." Serena pushed the empty plate away from her as she leant her arms on the counter, satisfied with her meal. "What else do you have planned?"

"Well if it's okay with you, I'd like to take a few minutes out of our day to visit my parents." Darien settled the bill and rose to his feet. A small smile washed across Serena's features as her gaze softened.

"Of course." She held her hand out for him to take. "But only if we can walk there. It's such a nice day outside..." Her voice trailed away as she noticed Darien seemingly distracted. He was looking around at the ceiling of the arcade, wandering around in odd sways. "What is it?" Serena hesitantly followed as Darien gestured for her to walk toward him. She stepped within reach and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a long, spine tingling kiss.

Darien smiled as she pulled away, slightly confused. "W-what was...?" He glanced up over Serena's shoulder, spinning her around.

"That kiss was captured by that camera over there," He pointed before turning around and pointing up at another camera to his right. "And that one." Serena blushed profusely. Who would have known that Darien was such an exhibitionist? "If you ever miss me, you can always steal the security camera footage from Drew."

Her smile transformed into a broad grin. "You dork." Suddenly feeling a little camera shy, she dragged him out of the Arcade and away from the view of the cameras before leaning up for another kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too, Dumpling."

. . .

"Hi Ma, good afternoon, Pa." Darien greeted as he replaced the old flowers with fresh white roses, tending to the joint memorial stone. "I'm sorry for not visiting on New Year's. As you probably already know, I was in Boston, but I'm here to visit before I go back tomorrow."

Serena watched on silently from a short distance as Darien tended to his parents' headstone. The scene churned up buried emotions from within her, and Serena struggled to keep them in check. Eventually, Darien turned to steal a look at Serena, and she shifted her weight around nervously.

"You remember my girlfriend, Serena, right?" He continued talking to the grey marble stone as he rose to his feet slowly. "Well, I don't suppose you know that she wasn't actually my girlfriend the previous times she came to visit... but she is now."

Serena took this as her cue to abruptly step up beside her boyfriend. She clasped her hands together and bowed low. "Mr and Mrs Chiba, my name is Tsukino Usagi, but you may know me better as Serena..." She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "...or Dumpling Head." She added, causing Darien to smile broadly. "It's a pleasure to meet you... again, and I hope that you'd have approved of our relationship. I will try my hardest to be the best girlfriend I can be, and worthy of your son."

"I know you would approve of Serena." Darien added, "She's a beautiful, positive soul. She's strong, and has a big heart and most of all, she makes your son the happiest he's ever been." He too bowed down low. "I love her, and I hope we have your blessing." After a moment of silence, Darien straightened up his posture and clapped his hands together. "Good, I'm glad," He continued the silent conversation. "Because this woman will provide you with beautiful grandchildren one day."

Serena's jaw dropped as she lifted her head. Her whole face glowed a bright crimson colour and she simply turned to stare at her playful boyfriend in disbelief and deep embarrassment. She was completely speechless as she continued to stare at Darien.

"What?" He shrugged. "I said _'one day'_, I didn't mean now... gosh, eager much?" Serena pouted in response and Darien poked his tongue out. "Honestly, talk about smothering."

. . .

"So..." Darien cleared his throat, breaking the silent stroll back to the car. "Tell me about your father."

Serena stalled mid-step. It took a moment for Darien to realise that she had stopped walking. Turning around, he noticed the uncertain expression on her face. The question seemed to have hit her unexpectedly and she didn't look to be quite prepared with any response at all.

"Only if you want to, of course." Darien added. "It's just that, his loss impacted you so deeply. I just wanted to know more about him... what he was like... any funny stories or happy memories you have of him..."

"You really want to know?" Her meek voice sounded so unsure, and it made Darien's heart tug within his chest. He slowly stepped toward her and slipped her hand within his. Tilting his head to the side slightly, he shot her his warmest, reassuring smile.

"Of course I do." He nodded.

Serena's eyes rose up to the clouds above them for a moment as she took a moment to think of the best way to describe her late father. "Well, he was always deeply overprotective..."

"Sure, let's start with that." Darien grimaced. "Because that's what your boyfriend likes to hear."

* * *

"Dar..." Serena pulled the covers up over her nose as she snuggled into Darien's soft bed.

"Mmm?" He hummed, removing his shirt before sitting down on the bed beside his girlfriend.

"I'm going to miss you." He didn't even have to look at her to know that she was about to cry. The shaky, teary tone in her voice gave it away.

Darien inhaled slowly to try to keep his own emotions in control. "I'll miss you too, Dumpling." Turning around, he noted her half-hearted attempt to hide under the covers. Her shimmering teary eyes were the only thing he could see, but he was certain that the tip of her nose was red and her cheeks would be flushed. Leaning back onto his side, he kissed her forehead endearingly. "I won't be away for long, and when I come back, you'll see me just about every day." He smiled, trying to cheer her up. "In fact, you'll probably be completely sick of me after two weeks."

"I bet ten million yen that I won't be." Serena sniffled from beneath the covers, reaching out to rub the tears away from her eyes.

Darien tugged the blanket down and away from Serena's face and she whimpered slightly, feeling emotionally exposed and a little embarrassed for it. "Deal." He gently kissed the tip of her nose and she giggled at the fluttery touch. "Now, it's our last night together for a little while..." Raising her fingers to his lips, he pressed gentle kisses along her knuckles before trailing them down her wrist and arm. "How about we make at least one more happy memory, hmm?"

Serena's fingers brushed the dark bangs away from Darien's face and she lifted his chin up so that he was looking her in the eyes once more. Wriggling free from the sheets, she raised herself up slightly and nodded gently before claiming his lips in a slow kiss.

* * *

"Serenity,"

He could hear himself call out to the figure in his dreams. She had been just as she always was. Dressed in a long, flowing gold trimmed white silk dress, and unreachable, bathed in shadow and mist.

"Serenity, we mustn't meet like this anymore!" His own voice sounded foreign to him, in fact, Darien wasn't completely sure that he was still dreaming. It felt more like a memory.

"But why?" For the first time, the Moon Princess, Serenity, stepped into the light. He watched as her gold-spun hair glistened in the light of the moon and she steadied herself against his embrace. But confusion fogged his mind and his thoughts as he stared down at Serena looking back up at him.

"Sere," His breath caught at the back of his throat. It was the first time he had ever seen the face of the Moon Princess in his dreams, and it was Serena. "Denizens of the Earth and Moon are forbidden..." his voice trailed away. He knew it was pointless to try to deny her of the one thing that he too, wanted the most. Still, even in his dreams, Darien couldn't help but wonder why he was dreaming of Serena as the Moon Princess, when he knew it was Mina.

It didn't matter though, because as he held her in his arms, caressing the petal soft skin of her cheek, it felt perfectly right. Everything, everything about that moment felt right. Everything up until the sharp stabbing feeling of a sword driving into his chest surged waves of pain through his body so vivid that it jolted Darien awake and up out of bed.

_A dream. It was just a dream._

Darien's heart pounded so heavily in his chest that the pressure of each beat was the only thing he could hear ringing in his ears for the following minute. Beads of sweat clung to his forehead and chest, which he frantically began to pat down, searching for the protruding blade or a wound... any signs that he had been stabbed. Thankfully he found none.

Once he was sufficiently satisfied that he wasn't dying, Darien's attention shifted toward the bed beside him. It was empty. A pink folded note sat neatly on the middle of the pillow. His eyes darted toward the clock on his bedside table. 6:46AM it displayed in digital lettering.

Darien's brows knitted together as he reached for the note. It was much too early for Serena to be awake.

_Darien,_

_If you're reading this, it's probably because you've woken up and I'm not there. You looked to be sleeping peacefully, so I didn't want to wake you. I'm sorry I can't see you off at the airport today. It majorly blows that it's a school day._

_Study hard, call and write often, eat healthy and don't dare to even think about looking at another woman. Stay safe, Dar. Come home soon. _

_I'll miss you every day. I love you._

_Your Dumpling Head._

Darien let the pink note slip from his fingers as he exhaled a deep sigh. He knew that she was most likely a teary mess while writing the note, and probably didn't want him to see her crying again. Saying goodbye again would have been too painful for her. It was heartbreaking enough for him. Perhaps this was for the best.

Reaching over, Darien opened his bedside drawer and pulled out a small blue box. "Well," His voice echoed across the walls of the empty room. "I guess this will just have to wait until I come back."

* * *

_New Japan Airlines to New York, all passengers should proceed to the departure gate._ A female voice announced over the airport speakers.

"Well, I guess this is it." Darien mumbled to himself, picking up his carry-on baggage. He turned to head to the gate, only to see Serena standing in his way. She smiled wearily as she slowly stepped toward him.

Darien's heart skipped a beat and he beamed with excitement. "I thought you weren't coming today, because of school-"

"I couldn't let you go without..." Serena attempted to smile through her watery eyes, but as soon as she blinked, she could feel them trickling down her cheeks and her smile faltered. "Oh no... I planned to see you off with a smile today."

His broad grin diminished, turning into a gentle smile as he wrapped his arms around Serena's shoulders, feeling her hiccupped sniffles against his chest. Eventually, he pulled away, holding her at arm's length to look her in the eyes. "Sere, will you wait for me?"

"Of course." She nodded, wiping the stray tears away from her eyes as she sobered and smiled reassuringly once again. "You know I will."

"Then, will you do something else for me?" Darien cautiously tested the waters.

"What is it, Dar?"

"... I meant it when I said I'd love you forever. I'll always come back to you..." He continued, slowly; this time, for the sake of his nervously anticipating heart. "Sere, I love you." Reaching into his pocket, Darien pulled out a small blue Tiffany box. "Open it"

Serena gingerly accepted the box, holding it in her palm for a minute before smiling up at her boyfriend while pulling on the ribbon. "Another charm?" She queried. "I thought I told you to stop disguising your charms in little blue boxes because they look too much like-" Lifting the lid, she revealed a heart shaped pink diamond surrounded by micro-pavéd white diamonds, set into a white gold ring. "Darien... is that...?"

"Marry me, Serena." It sounded more like a statement than a question. Darien plucked the ring from its box and reached for Serena's left hand, slipping it onto her finger. "It doesn't have to be right when I come back. It doesn't even have to be any time soon." He added. "We have forever for you to decide, but I want you to know that I love you, and I'm coming back to you. Just keep that for now, as a reminder."

"I..." Elation, shock, happiness, love, surprise, excitement... they were but a few of the emotions whirwinding around in Serena's heart. A small squeal managed to escape past her agape lips and she beamed in delight. "I will cherish it." Lifting herself up onto the tips of her toes, Serena steadied herself against Darien as he leant down to capture her lips within his.

"Sorry for the interruption, guys." Andrew slowly approached as the coupled contently broke away from the kiss. "But I have to get you back to school, 'Rena. Lunch break is almost over."

_This is the second boarding call for New Japan Airlines. All passengers boarding flight NJ917 to New York, please proceed to gate 9._

Another boarding call sounded from the speakers above them, further prompting the couple to hastily indulge in their last few moments together. "I should go." Darien finally added, picking up his bag once more.

"I love you, Darien." Serena launched herself at the tall man, squeezing him tightly one last time in a bone crushing hug.

"I will always love you, Dumpling." Darien gasped for air momentarily before he felt Serena relax her hold on him. He kissed the top of her head endearingly. "I'll see you soon." And with one last exchange of looks and one last departing wave, he was gone.

. . .

With ten minutes of her lunch break left, Serena signed back in at the administration desk.

"How was it?" Lita, Ami and Mina had waited for their friend to return from the airport.

Serena's lip trembled as her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "It's going to be a long 11 months."

"If you like, we can go up to the rooftop of the arts building. According to this app, his plane is just taking off now. We should be able to see it from here." Ami held up her phone. The girls waited momentarily for Serena to nod her head before proceeding to the closest stairwell.

"There it is." Ami tracked the red arrow on the screen before pointing to the small, glistening object, rising ever higher over Tokyo bay in the distance.

"He seems so far away already." Leaning against the rooftop ledge, Serena wistfully sighed, letting the fingers of her right hand absentmindedly play with the new ring on her left hand. Seconds merged into minutes, and as the plane ascended, the school bell chimed. Still, nobody moved.

"We should go..." Lita eventually voiced. "The bell rang a minute ago."

"Just a little bit longer, guys." Serena requested, trying to hide her melancholy tone with a smile. "I just want to-" A blinding flash followed by a loud pop, like a firework interrupted Serena's cheerful excuses, and immediately, her gaze focused on the horizon to the South. Black smoke engulfed a glowing red orb that rained debris from the sky. Ashen grey smoke carried on the wind as shards of broken fuselage glittered in the afternoon sun and the remnants of the explosion fell into Tokyo Bay.

Serena's pupils constricted and her mouth dropped open at the sight. The plane they had been watching exploded in mid-air. Her heart plummeted in her chest, and immediately, Serena began to feel ill. Her feet felt lead weighted and she remained motionless, incapable of tearing her eyes away from the unfolding scene.

"It vanished..." Ami was the first to break the silence as she glanced down at her phone. The flashing red arrow that they were tracking on her phone had disappeared. "It's missing from the radar."

"Darien's plane..." Serena clasped her hand over her mouth as she choked back tears of disbelief. "No." She shook her head and inhaled a shallow breath. Clenching her eyes shut, she refused to believe what she had just seen, and at that point, the adrenalin kicked in. She ran straight for the stairwell, descending down to the third level of the building where she sprinted toward the teacher's lounge.

"Serena, wait!" Lita was the first to catch up to the panicked blonde who had abruptly burst through the staff room, only to be halted by the images flashing on the television screen hanging on the wall.

"And we have some breaking news." The screen cut away from the news reporter to shaky phone camera footage of smoke billowing from the disintegrating plane. "We have reports just coming in, that a passenger aircraft has, just moments ago, exploded soon after take-off from Haneda Airport, crashing into Tokyo Bay." The footage abruptly ended, cutting back to the news reporter as a new text banner at the bottom of the screen confirmed Serena's worst nightmare. _"New Japan Airlines flight NJ917 explodes after take-off." _It read. "At this stage, it is unknown if the explosion was an accident, or due to suspicious circumstances. Emergency services have been deployed to the Tokyo Airport Bay area, but witnesses of the crash hold grave fears for any survivors-"

"No... no... NO!" Lita wrapped her arms around Serena's holding her tightly as she thrashed about, clutching the palms of her hands to her face in an attempt to hide from the footage of the crash, but it was no use. The image of the burning plane falling from the sky haunted her, even with her eyes drowned in tears and clamped shut. "Darien!" Eventually her knees gave way and Lita grunted as Serena slowly became heavier and heavier, falling to her knees in a sobbing heap. "He can't be! I just- I was just-" Lita slowly released her hold on Serena as the distraught blonde teen trembled in disbelief and distress, her fingers clutching at the new ring on her hand the whole time.

"Miss Tsukino," A teacher slowly approached the anguished teen, but stopped short of reaching out as she divided her attention between the impromptu news broadcast and the four teenage girls standing just within the doorway of the staff lounge, three of which had pale, solemn expressions and tears cascading from their eyes. The fourth, bent into a crumpled heap on the floor, drowning in a mass of tangled golden locks and her own gutturally painful cries.

"Did she know somebody on that flight?" Mrs Miyamoto, the Visual Arts head of department gently queried Mina, who nodded slowly, eyes fixed on the footage playing over and over on the staff room television screen. It couldn't be possible. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Serena hadn't even awakened as the Moon Princess yet, but it almost seemed as though history was repeating itself. Fate had torn them apart again.

"Come now, Miss Tsukino. It's still early yet," Another teacher, Mr Sakurai tried to console the distraught teen. "You know how journalists are, they always over-report things, especially so soon. There is always hope." He helped the blonde up to her feet, handing her a small pack of tissues. "We've called your cousin Andrew to come and pick you up. We think it's best that in light of these events, for you girls to take the afternoon off. Andrew said he could take each of you girls home." Mr Sakurai informed. "Head down to the admin office to sign out when you're ready."

With the supportive words still ringing in her head, Serena's cries died down into soft, gentle sobs. Yes, Mr. Sakurai was right; there would always be hope. There had to be. Perhaps Darien wasn't even on the flight. Perchance he had decided at the very last minute that he didn't want to go back to Harvard; that he wanted to stay in Japan and be by Serena's side, forever. Maybe he was in a taxi at this very moment, making his way back to her and oblivious about the fate of his departed flight.

As the girls walked down the stairwell of the building, Serena reached into her bag and retrieved her phone, dialling the number that she knew off by heart.

_'__Hi, you've reached Darien's number. Please leave a message-'_ It went straight to his voicemail. Serena drew in a shaky breath as tears flooded her eyes once more. She stopped between levels in the stairwell and placed a hand out to steady herself against the brick wall.

"Serena?" Mina's voice quietly questioned, and for the first time since the explosion, Serena looked up at her friend.

"Mi-na." Serena let out a straggled choke of a cry as tears cascaded down her cheeks. "I'm sorry." She reached out, holding each of Mina's hands in hers. "It's all my fault. I was so selfish. Your destiny- if he had stayed with you, he would still be alive."

"Serena, that's nonsense." Mina struggled to hold her tongue and keep herself from revealing everything.

"I ruined everything." Serena choked back another stuttered breath. "He was your prince. Fate is punishing me for taking him away from you."

"'Rena, that's not true." Through tears, Mina decided that it was time. She needed to console her friend. She needed to rectify the situation. She needed to tell her the truth. "'Rena, Darien was always y-"

At that moment, a sliver of light expanded behind her and a gloved arm wrapped around Mina's neck. Kunzite materialised with a smirk as he forcefully shoved Serena back against a wall and blasted a whirlwind gust of air to keep Ami and Lita from lunging at him or fighting back. Rising above the three surprised teens, Kunzite effortlessly subdued his struggling captive by squeezing his hold around her neck tighter.

"Mina!" Serena, Lita and Ami screamed out in unison.

"First, your Prince, and now your Princess." Kunzite's smirk turned into a malicious grin. "You didn't think we'd stay quiet for long, did you, Sailor Moon? You failed as a guardian. This is for Zoisite and the other Shittenou." His final words echoed in the stairwell as he vanished almost as quickly as he had appeared, taking Mina with him.

Serena dropped down to her knees in disbelief as she felt what little fight that was still left in her after watching Darien's plane explode, slip away with the kidnapping of the Moon Princess in front of her very own eyes.

* * *

. . .

(hides) I promise I will fix this. In the meantime, if you want to throw tomatoes at me, add me on facebook (search Crystal Saturn or the link is on my profile) and remind me that I like to write stories with a happy ending. I'll try to rush the next chapter out for you all :) ...I'm sorrrrryyyyy! Honestly... I'm having anxiety here just thinking about the feedback I'm about to get for this chap!

_**Crystal Saturn**_


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